THE ENHANCEMENT OF QUALITY EDUCATION USING SELF-

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES IN THE ZAMBEZI REGION OF NAMIBIA

by

VINCENT MUBIANA MATAKALA

submitted in accordance with the requirements

for the degree of

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

at the

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

SUPERVISOR: PROF R. J. BOTHA

JUNE 2018

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 ABSTRACT

This sequential explorative mixed methods study aims to explore how self-
assessment strategies can be used to enhance quality education in schools in the
Zambezi region of Namibia. The researcher posits that teachers are key in enhancing
quality education if accorded appropriate recourses to innovate and explore the use
of self-assessment strategies in schools.

A pragmatic research approach was used to guide this sequential explorative mixed
methods study. The study sought participants’ perceptions on four sub-problems of
the study: What entails quality and quality education? How can self-assessment
strategies be linked to quality and quality education in general terms? What recourses
are available to ensure that quality education is realised by the use of self-assessment
strategies in the Zambezi region? How can self-assessment strategy models be
developed to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi region?

Purposefully sampled school principals and heads of departments of five combined

schools participated in the study. During the first phase, face-to-face interviews were
conducted with the five participating school principals while the HoDs were engaged
in a focus group interview. The qualitative data was later used to inform the design of
the second phase of the study (quantitative). In the second phase, fifty-four teachers
completed Likert-scale questionnaires which were analysed using IBM SPSS.19 and
Microsoft Excel to compare with the qualitative data.

This study revealed that schools have common understandings of quality and quality
education albeit defined differently. The study also revealed that external professional
support is inadequate to support teachers in continuous professional development
activities. Furthermore, the study showed that the available recourses are seldom
utilised to enhance quality education in schools. Finally, the study revealed that the
use of one type of teacher self-evaluation (TSE) deprives innovative teachers from
initiating and exploring other viable self-assessment strategies. Therefore, this study
propagates the use of alternative self-assessment strategies that can contribute
towards the enhancement of quality education in schools in the Zambezi region of
Namibia.

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 KEY TERMS

Continuous professional development

Quality
Quality education
Quality education enhancement
Roles of school principals
Self-assessment
Self-assessment strategies
Teacher effectiveness

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For the accomplishment of my doctoral studies I am indebted to several people and

institutions.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Almighty God for the overall guidance
and divine support in helping me complete my studies.

Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor R. J. (N) Botha for his
relentless support, sound advice and words of encouragement during my doctoral
studies. I would also like to thank Dr. Dion Van Zyl for analysing the quantitative
data of this study. In the same vein, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to
Mr. Brian Carlson for editing and proof reading my thesis.

Thirdly, I would like to thank the Zambezi Regional Director of Education for giving
me permission to collect data from schools. I also would like to thank the school
principals, heads of departments (HoDs) and teachers for participating and
providing valuable data during the data collection stage of my studies.

Fourthly, I would like to sincerely thank my dearest wife, Monica, children and
grandchildren for their patience and moral support during my study period.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my colleagues at the University of Namibia,
Katima Mulilo Campus and Centre for Quality Assurance and Management
(CEQUAM) for their support and words of encouragement during my studies.

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 DECLARATION

I, VINCENT MUBIANA MATAKALA, declare that: THE ENHANCEMENT OF

QUALITY EDUCATION USING SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES IN THE
ZAMBEZI REGION OF NAMIBIA is my own independent work and that I have not
previously submitted this work for a qualification at another university.

STUDENT’S NAME: VINCENT MUBIANA MATAKALA

STUDENT’S SIGNATURE:

DATE: 13 October 2018

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 ABBREVIATIONS

AED: Academy for Educational Development

BES: Basic Education Support
DfID: Department for International Development
EFA: Education for All
ELTDP: English Language Teacher Development Project
EQUIP: Education Quality Improvement Program
ETSIP: Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme
GRN: Government of the Republic of Namibia
HoDs: Heads of Departments
IOS: International Organization for Standardization
MoEAC: Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture
NIED: National Institute for Educational Development
NQA: Namibia Qualifications Authority
NQF: National Quality Framework
NSPI: National Standard and Performance Indicators
NSSE: National School Self-Evaluation
PAAI: Plan of Action for Academic Performance
PQA: Programme Quality Assurance
QA: Quality Assurance
QE: Quality Education
SACMEQ: Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality
SDP: School Development Plan
SIP: Self-Improvement Plan
SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences
TSE: Teacher Self-Evaluation
UNAM: University of Namibia
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNICEF: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
UNISA: University of South Africa
UPE: Universal Primary Education
USAID: United States Agency for International Development

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 Table of Contents

ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................................... I

KEY TERMS ....................................................................................................................................................... II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................... III

DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................................. IV

ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... V

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................................... VI

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... XII

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ XIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION OF THE STUDY ...................................................................... 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ....................................................................................................... 1
1.3 MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY ....................................................................................................... 4
1.4 RESEARCH PROBLEM .................................................................................................................... 6
1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH ....................................................................................... 6
1.6 RESEARCH PARADIGM, RESEARCH APPROACH, AND UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHIES OF THE STUDY ... 7
1.7 HYPOTHESES FOR THE STUDY ...................................................................................................... 10
1.8 RESEARCH METHODS .................................................................................................................. 11
1.8.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 11
1.8.2 Population and sampling .......................................................................................................... 11
1.8.3 Research design, data collection instruments, and data analysis/ presentation ......................... 12
1.9 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY TOWARDS THEORY AND PRACTICE ............................................. 15
1.10 RELIABILITY, VALIDITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE RESEARCH.............................................. 15
1.11 PLANNING OF THE STUDY............................................................................................................ 18
1.11.1 Chapter 1: Introduction and orientation to the study ............................................................ 18
1.11.2 Chapter 2: Theoretical framework for the study ................................................................... 18
1.11.3 Chapter 3: The link between self-assessment strategies and quality education ..................... 19
1.11.4 Chapter 4: Research design .................................................................................................. 19
1.11.5 Chapter 5: Presentation, analysis, and discussion of research findings .................................. 20
1.11.6 Chapter 6: Summary, conclusions, findings, and recommendations ...................................... 20
1.12 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS ........................................................................................................ 20
1.13 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 22

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY .............................................................................. 23

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2.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 23
2.2 AN EXPOSITION OF THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY ............................................................................ 23
2.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 23
2.2.2 Defining quality ........................................................................................................................ 23
2.2.3 Approaches to the definition of quality ..................................................................................... 29
2.2.4 Quality assurance and quality enhancement............................................................................. 33
2.2.5 Quality in the school context .................................................................................................... 37
2.2.6 Application of total quality management (TQM) in schools ....................................................... 41
2.2.7 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 42
2.3 EXPOSITION OF A FEW SELECTED QUALITY THEORIES................................................................... 43
2.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 43
2.3.2 Theories of quality.................................................................................................................... 43
2.4 SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 59
2.4.1 Holistic approach ..................................................................................................................... 59
2.4.2 Adaptability of principles .......................................................................................................... 60
2.4.3 Feasibility of principles ............................................................................................................. 60
2.5 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 61

CHAPTER 3: SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND QUALITY EDUCATION ........................................................ 63

3.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 63

3.2 EXPOSITION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT.............................................................................................. 63
3.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 63
3.2.2 Definitions of self-assessment................................................................................................... 64
3.2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of self-assessment ................................................................... 66
3.2.4 Self-assessment and the quality cycles ...................................................................................... 68
3.2.5 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 71
3.3 EXPOSITION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES........................................................................... 71
3.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 71
3.3.2 Survey mode ............................................................................................................................ 72
3.3.3 Guided self-assessment workshop mode................................................................................... 72
3.3.4 Questionnaire mode ................................................................................................................. 73
3.3.5 Reflection journal mode ........................................................................................................... 73
3.3.6 Matrix mode ............................................................................................................................ 74
3.3.7 Award simulation mode ........................................................................................................... 75
3.3.8 Departmental self-review mode................................................................................................ 76
3.3.9 Design of self-assessment processes ......................................................................................... 78
3.3.10 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 83
3.4 QUALITY EDUCATION IN THE NAMIBIAN CONTEXT....................................................................... 84

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3.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT IN THE NAMIBIAN CONTEXT ........................................................................... 90
3.6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 93

CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 94

4.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 94

4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN ...................................................................................................................... 94
4.2.1 Research paradigm .................................................................................................................. 94
4.2.2 Mixed methods approach ......................................................................................................... 95
4.2.3 Aim of the research .................................................................................................................. 99
4.2.4 Research problem .................................................................................................................... 99
4.3 STUDY POPULATION AND SAMPLING ........................................................................................ 100
4.3.1 Study population .................................................................................................................... 100
4.3.2 Sample for the qualitative phase ............................................................................................ 100
4.3.3 Sample for the quantitative phase .......................................................................................... 100
4.3.4 Informed consent ................................................................................................................... 101
4.3.5 Anonymity and confidentiality ................................................................................................ 102
4.3.6 Ethical issues and considerations ............................................................................................ 102
4.4 INSTRUMENTATION.................................................................................................................. 103
4.4.1 Literature review .................................................................................................................... 103
4.4.2 Qualitative research phase of the exploratory sequential mixed methods approach ................ 104
4.4.3 Quantitative research phase of the exploratory sequential mixed methods approach .............. 105
4.5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES .............................................................................................. 105
4.6 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION......................................................................................... 107
4.6.1 Data analysis ......................................................................................................................... 107
4.6.2 Data presentation .................................................................................................................. 109
4.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ........................................................................................................ 109
4.7.1 Researcher role and competency ............................................................................................ 109
4.7.2 Maintaining objectivity and interpersonal subjectivity ............................................................ 110
4.7.3 Reflexivity .............................................................................................................................. 110
4.8 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 110

CHAPTER 5: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................. 112

5.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 112

5.2 PART A: QUALITATIVE DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS....................................................... 112
5.2.1 Demographic data of participating school principals .............................................................. 112
5.2.2 Demographic data of participating heads of departments (HoDs) ........................................... 117
5.3 PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN GENERAL ............................................ 120
5.3.1 The school principals’ and HoDs’ perceptions of quality and quality education in general ........ 121

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 5.3.2 The school principals’ and HoDs’ perceptions of quality and quality education in the Zambezi
region 124
5.3.3 Links of self-assessment strategies to quality and quality education ........................................ 130
5.3.4 Availability of recourses for the use of self-assessment strategies to ensure quality education in
the Zambezi region .............................................................................................................................. 136
5.3.5 The development of self-assessment strategy models to enhance the quality of education in the
Zambezi region .................................................................................................................................... 144
5.3.6 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 150
5.4 PART B: QUANTITATIVE DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS .................................................... 151
5.4.1 Demographic data of teachers ............................................................................................... 151
5.4.2 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 159
5.4.3 Reliability of data ................................................................................................................... 159
5.5 PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN GENERAL ............................................ 161
5.5.1 Perceptions of quality and quality education using independent variables ............................... 161
5.5.2 Schools have a shared and common understanding of quality education (QE) ........................ 166
5.6 FACTOR ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 171
5.6.1 What entails quality and quality education? ........................................................................... 172
5.6.2 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality education in general
terms? 173
5.6.3 What recourses are available to ensure that quality education is realised by the use of self-
assessment strategies in the Zambezi region? ...................................................................................... 175
5.6.4 How can self-assessment strategy models be developed to enhance the quality of education in
the Zambezi region? ............................................................................................................................ 176
5.7 DISCUSSION OF ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE FACTOR ANALYSIS ................................................ 179
5.7.1 Removed items to improve Cronbach’s alpha .......................................................................... 179
5.7.2 One Sample t-tests ................................................................................................................. 180
5.7.3 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 182
5.8 PART C: TRIANGULATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ..................................................................... 183
5.8.1 Definitions of quality and quality education ............................................................................ 183
5.8.2 Perceptions of quality and quality education in the Zambezi region ......................................... 185
5.9 LINKS OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES TO QUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN GENERAL ... 186
5.9.1 Professional support............................................................................................................... 186
5.9.2 Cluster system ........................................................................................................................ 187
5.10 AVAILABLE RECOURSES FOR USE OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES IN THE ZAMBEZI REGION.... 188
5.10.1 Decision-making ................................................................................................................ 188
5.10.2 Academic freedom............................................................................................................. 188
5.10.3 Teacher effectiveness......................................................................................................... 189

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5.11 DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGY MODELS TO ENHANCE QUALITY EDUCATION IN
THE ZAMBEZI REGION............................................................................................................... 192
5.11.1 Exposition of self-assessment strategies............................................................................. 192
5.11.2 Roles of school principals ................................................................................................... 193
5.12 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 195

CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY OF THE STUDY, CONCLUSIONS, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................... 198

6.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 198

6.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH ................................................................................................... 198
6.3 THE RESEARCH FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 200
6.3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 200
6.3.2 Findings with regard to sub-question 1: What entails quality and quality education? .............. 200
6.3.3 Findings with regard to sub-question 2: How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality
and quality education in general terms? ............................................................................................... 201
6.3.4 Findings with regard to sub-question 3: What recourses are available to ensure that quality
education is realised by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region of Namibia? ......... 202
6.3.5 Findings with regard to sub-question 4: How can self-assessment strategy models be developed
to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi region of Namibia? ................................................ 203
6.3.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 204
6.4 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE STUDY .............................................................................................. 205
6.4.1 Conclusions of participants’ perceptions on quality and quality education in general ............... 205
6.4.2 Conclusions of self-assessment links to quality and quality education in general...................... 205
6.4.3 Conclusions of recourses available for use of self-assessment strategies. ................................ 206
6.4.4 Conclusions of developing self-assessment strategies............................................................. 206
6.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE STUDY ................................................................................... 207
6.5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 207
6.5.2 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 1: What entails quality and quality
education?........................................................................................................................................... 207
6.5.3 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 2: How can self-assessment strategies be linked
to quality and quality education in general terms? ............................................................................... 207
6.5.4 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 3: What recourses are available to ensure that
quality education is realised by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region of
Namibia? ............................................................................................................................................. 208
6.5.5 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 4: How can self-assessment strategy models be
developed to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi region of Namibia? ............................... 208
6.5.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 209
6.6 LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ..................................................................... 209
6.7 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY TOWARDS THEORY AND PRACTICE ........................................... 210

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 6.7.1 Self-assessment model ........................................................................................................... 210
6.7.2 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 215
6.8 FUTURE RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES .............................................................................................. 215
6.9 FINAL REMARKS ........................................................................................................................ 216

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 217

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 227

APPENDIX A: RESEARCH ETHICS CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE .................................................... 228

APPENDIX B: PERMISSION LETTER FROM THE ZAMBEZI DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION... 229

APPENDIX C: SCHOOL PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ......................................................... 230

APPENDIX D: HOD FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ......................................................... 233

APPENDIX E: TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE - LIKERT-SCALE ......................................................... 237

APPENDIX F: SAMPLE TRANSCRIPT .................................................................................................. 242

APPENDIX G: PROOF OF EDITING ....................................................................................................... 253

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: The differences between quality assurance and quality enhancement .........35
Table 2: Deming’s fourteen principles of total quality management ............................. 45
Table 3: Sample of a self-improvement plan (Kadhila, 2012) .......................................83
Table 4: Quantitative, mixed, and qualitative methods .................................................. 97
Table 5: Comparison of quantitative and qualitative research ......................................98
Table 6: Extent of agreement or disagreement on quality by gender ......................... 162
Table 78: Teachers’ perceptions on quality and quality education ............................. 172
Table 9: Internal professional support ........................................................................... 173
Table 10: External professional support ........................................................................ 174
Table 11: Teacher effectiveness .................................................................................... 176
Table 12: Roles of school principals in ensuring quality education in schools .......... 177
Table 13: Modes of self-assessment strategies familiar to teachers .......................... 178
Table 14: Removed items to improve Cronbach’s alpha ............................................. 179

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The continuum of quality QA - QE ...................................................................34

Figure 2: The ecology of quality assurance and enhancement .................................... 36
Figure 3: Powell’s three ‘grammars’ of internal evaluation (Powell, 2000:40) ............. 65
Figure 4: The model for improvement .............................................................................. 68
Figure 5: Designing the self-assessment process .......................................................... 79
Figure 6: Exploratory sequential mixed methods design ............................................... 96
Figure 7: Data analysis in qualitative research (Creswell, 2014:197)......................... 108
Figure 8: Gender of school principals ............................................................................ 113
Figure 9: Age profile of participating school principals ................................................. 114
Figure 10: Highest qualifications of school principals .................................................. 115
Figure 11: Teaching experience of school principals ................................................... 116
Figure 12: Participating heads of departments (HoDs) ................................................ 117
Figure 13: Age profile of participating HoDs ................................................................. 118
Figure 14: Professional qualifications of HoDs ............................................................. 119
Figure 15: Experience of HoDs ...................................................................................... 120
Figure 16: Gender distribution of participating teachers .............................................. 154
Figure 17: Age-profile of teachers .................................................................................. 155
Figure 18: Gender of teachers according to grade phases ......................................... 156
Figure 19: Professionally qualified and under-qualified teachers ............................... 157
Figure 20: Years of teaching experience for teachers ................................................. 158
Figure 21: Number of teachers pursuing further studies ............................................. 159
Figure 22: Schools have a shared and common understanding of 'quality' ............... 162
Figure 23: Perception of teachers on understanding of quality by age-profile .......... 163
Figure 24: Perceptions of teachers according to grade phases .................................. 164
Figure 25: Teachers' views on 'quality' according to qualifications ............................. 165
Figure 26: Teachers’ views on quality by teaching experience ................................... 165
Figure 27: Teachers’ views on quality by current studies ............................................ 166
Figure 28: Teachers’ views on quality according to gender ........................................ 167
Figure 29: Teachers’ views on quality according to age-profile .................................. 168
Figure 30: Teachers’ understading of QE according to grade phases ....................... 168
Figure 31: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to qualifications .................... 169
Figure 32: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to teaching experience ........ 170

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Figure 33: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to current studies ................. 171
Figure 34: Guidelines for a teacher self-assessment model ....................................... 211

xiv
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION OF THE
STUDY

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter one presents the background to the study highlighting various interventions
undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture to improve the quality of
education in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The chapter identifies the research
problem from which sub-problems of the study are drawn. The chapter also presents
the aim and objectives of the study followed by hypotheses. The research paradigm
and the research approach used in the study are also covered in Chapter one.
Furthermore, Chapter one addresses and justifies the importance (reliability, validity
and trustworthiness) of the study at hand and how it can contribute towards education
literature on teacher self-assessment in Zambezi region. Lastly, a chronological
sequence of the chapters of the study is presented prior to a conclusion of the chapter.

1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Immediately after Namibia gained independence in 1990, the Government of the

Republic of Namibia (GRN) enacted laws to eliminate imbalances that prevailed during
the colonial dispensation. This helped to allow previously disadvantaged Namibians to
have free access to basic education, that is, from primary level to lower secondary
levels. The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia [Chapter 3, art. 20, sec. (1), (2),
(3)], states that:

(1) All persons shall have the right to education.

(2) Primary education shall be compulsory and the State shall provide
reasonable facilities to render effective this right for every resident within
Namibia, by establishing and maintaining State schools at which primary
education will be provided free of charge.

(3) Children shall not be allowed to leave school until they have completed their
primary education or have attained the age of sixteen (16) years, whichever
is the sooner, save in so far as this may be authorised by Act of Parliament
on grounds of health or other considerations pertaining to the public interest.
1
Since independence in 1990, Namibia, like many other countries, has been reforming
its educational system in ways that would empower the local schools without
necessarily eliminating national standards and requirements. The school is regarded
as the heart of the educational system; hence, interest in the school practices and
processes has reawakened now with the Government of the Republic of Namibia
advocating for a speedy but steady process of decentralisation and devolution of
powers, functions and authority to local schools and agencies. The Ministry of
Education, Arts, and Culture (2013a:3) declares that: ‘The State is taking full
responsibility for expanding and availing resources, through [the] regional budget
program for Pre-primary and Primary education’. Many parents, non-governmental
organisations and other interested stakeholders in education countrywide have
welcomed this declaration by the Government as it directly addresses the Ministerial
major goals of access, quality, equity and democracy in the education sector (Ministry
of Education, Arts and Culture, 1993). Hence, the introduction of Universal Primary
Education (UPE) in 2013, attaches greater importance to the empowerment of local
schools and local communities, while setting standards that all schools should try to
meet (Government of the Republic of Namibia, 1999).

However, prior to the introduction of Universal Primary Education in all public schools
in Namibia, the Zambezi region was regarded initially as one of the most
disadvantaged regions of Namibia. According to the Centre for Global Education
Monitoring (2015:4), the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring
Educational Quality ‘(SACMEQ) research revealed that the northern regions of
Namibia had the most difficulty in providing adequate educational resources and
achieving minimum levels of learning outcomes’. In an effort to redress the social and
educational imbalances in the Zambezi region, the Ministry of Education assigned
several non-organisational projects, such as the English Language Teacher
Development Project (ELTDP); Basic Education Support Projects (BES) I, II and III;
and the Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP I). The ELTDP operated
under the auspices of the Department for International Development (DFID). The Basic
Education Support Projects I, II & III operated directly under the supervision of the
United States Agency for International Development while EQUIP I was funded by the
United States President’s Funds for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

2
However, almost three decades after independence, nearly all these noble initiatives
and interventions are no longer in existence as initially planned by the various non-
government organisations in the Zambezi region. The departure of non-governmental
support has left the impoverished schools in the Zambezi region with limited external
donor support.

Furthermore, most of the materials left behind by these agencies in the Zambezi region
are now redundant in many schools, except for the rollout of the school self-evaluation
that was introduced by BES I and II, which is now formalised in schools. It is worth
mentioning that the practice of teacher self-assessment, which forms the basis for this
study, is conducted once per year during October countrywide in state schools. This
exercise enables school principals and teachers to develop School Development Plans
(SDP) and Plans of Action for Academic Improvement (PAAI), (Ministry of Education,
Arts and Culture, 2013b).

Additionally, the School Improvement Program (SIP), which was introduced during the
second phase of the BES Project in the Zambezi region, had one ultimate aim of
empowering and capacitating schools with the skills and knowledge for continuous
improvement. The programme design made use of a theoretical framework from the
World Bank (2012) study that synthesises the findings of the school effectiveness and
school improvement literature from the perspective of the needs of education systems
in developing countries, specifically sub-Saharan Africa (Heneveld & Craig, 1996).

The SIP was designed to ensure the implementation of the government’s policies to
reform instructional practice in grades 1-4 classrooms and methods of assessing and
reporting learner performance in those classes; guide improvement in education
management; and ensure greater involvement of parents and community members in
matters related to primary schooling. The study at hand, therefore, seeks to unfold how
teacher self-assessment strategies can enhance quality education in teaching and
learning in combined schools in the remote areas of the Zambezi region.

Finally, despite several mitigation strategies by the Ministry of Education to improve

the quality of education in the Zambezi region, SACMEQ I and II research findings
indicate that the Zambezi region is rated as one of the poorest in literacy and
numeracy. Makuwa (2005) found out that ≤ 5% of the learners in the Zambezi region
3
attained the minimum level of mastery in literacy and ≤ 1.2% of the learners reached
the desirable level of mastery in literacy. Less than eighty-percent of the teachers
achieved the desirable level of mastery in literacy.

In 2014, the Zambezi region was ranked the least under-performing region countrywide
(Salkeus, 2015). The factors for the poor performance of the region are multifaceted.
Stakeholders, particularly school principals and teachers, are often blamed for the
region’s lack of quality education as manifested by the poor national examination
results. According to Ntabi, Nkengbeza and Maemeko, (2017:96), ‘common
observations in the school system show that all stakeholders within the sector points
(sic) to each other as being responsible for this mediocre performance’. Teopolina
Hamutumua, the Zambezi Regional Director for PQA also acknowledges the region’s
poor performance but fails to ‘pinpoint the reason for the region’s failure’ (Hamutumua,
2015:5). Therefore, the low performance by learners in local and national examinations
necessitated the researcher to explore how the quality of education in teaching and
learning can be improved using self-assessment strategies in combined schools in the
Zambezi region.

1.3 MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY

Like in most developing countries, Namibia’s monitoring and evaluation of schools has
been found wanting due to a variety of factors. These include lack of transport for
education officers; too many schools to be covered by education officers; insufficient
number of human resources due to budgetary constraints; and climatic factors, such
as annual floods in some parts of the Zambezi region, among others. Since most of
these factors cannot be easily remedied and because outside monitoring and
evaluation are limited, self-assessment strategies are posited as viable means of
capacitating school principals and teachers to take ownership of quality education
enhancement processes. Therefore, the initiative of using self-assessment strategies
in schools requires that it should be owned by school principals and teachers, and not
imposed by outside agencies (MacBeath, 1999).

The introduction of universal primary education in Namibia requires schools to become

agencies of quality education. Schools are thus expected to offer quality education now
that the government is directly funding all the schools in Namibia. However, some
4
stakeholders are sceptical about quality being compromised as a result of introducing
universal primary education amidst massification of learners that is compounded by
financial crunches. According to Kooper (2017:20), ‘some school principals in the
Zambezi region say the government’s free education concept was introduced hastily
without due consideration to the current financial crisis’. Hence, the use of self-
assessment strategies is advanced by the researcher as a supplementary means to
make schools become institutions of quality education with very little or no funding.

Another motivation for the study on the use of self-assessment strategies in schools is
to build capacity for reflective practice among teachers. Self-assessment strategies
enable teachers to find time to critically examine their day-to-day activities at school
level with the ultimate goal of enhancing quality education. Furthermore, self-
assessment strategies enable schools to develop a culture for continuous
improvement of quality education. This practice is in line with the Ministry of Education
(2013a) policy that requires teachers to develop plans of action for academic
improvement.

In conclusion, self-assessment strategies can be applied by teachers to enhance

quality education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi region. Once the teachers
and school principals embrace the notion of self-assessment, schools can be better
placed to improve the quality of education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi
region. However, despite the fact that learners, parents, and other stakeholders
(government and institutions of higher learning) play an important role in improving the
quality of education in teaching and learning in schools, they were excluded in this
particular study. This study focused on how teachers with support from school
principals can improve the teaching and learning processes in schools. Self-
assessment strategies can enable teachers in schools to systematically identify and
sustain their strengths while addressing weaknesses that inhibit them from realising
quality education in teaching and learning (USAID, 2006; Ministry of Education, Arts,
and Culture, 2013b).

5
 1.4 RESEARCH PROBLEM

McKinsey (2007:44) states that ‘the quality of an education system cannot exceed the
quality of its teachers and that the only way to improve outcomes is to improve
instruction (teaching and learning)’. The process of improving instruction of teaching
and learning can not be coincidental. It requires teachers to regularly self-assess their
teaching and learning repertoire to improve learner outcomes. Therefore, there is need
for teachers to critically self-assess their skills and knowledge against standards at
school, regional and national levels. According to the Speaker of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Namibia, Honorable Professor Peter Katjavivi (GRN,
2016:7) ‘improving education quality calls for contextualised initiatives … at school
level practice’ that are responsive to the needs and expectations of learners. In an
attempt to redress this concern for improved instruction in teaching and learning in
state schools only, the following has been identified to be the main research problem:

How can the quality of education in teaching and learning be improved in

schools in the Zambezi region?

The above-mentioned main research problem leads to the following sub-problems of

the envisaged research:

 What entails quality and quality education?

 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality

education in general terms?
 What recourses are available to ensure that quality education is realised
by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region?
 How can self-assessment strategy models be developed to enhance the
quality of education in the Zambezi region?

1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH

The aim of this particular study was to establish how self-assessment strategies can
be used to enhance the quality of education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi
region. The following were the objectives of the study:

6
  examine the notion of quality and quality education in general (addressed
in the theoretical framework of the study in Chapter two);
 investigate how self-assessment strategies are linked to quality and quality
education in general (addressed in the literature study in Chapter three);
 examine the recourses available to ensure that quality education is
realised by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region
(addressed in the empirical study in Chapter five);
 develop self-assessment strategy models that can enhance quality
education in the Zambezi region (addressed as the main outcome of the
study in Chapter five).

1.6 RESEARCH PARADIGM, RESEARCH APPROACH, AND UNDERLYING

PHILOSOPHIES OF THE STUDY

The terms ‘paradigm’ or ‘worldview’ are often used differently by many researchers to
describe the basic and fundamental beliefs and assumptions that guide research
inquiry on phenomena of the natural and social structures (Lincoln, Lynham, & Guba,
2011; Mertens, 2010; Feilzer, 2010; Creswell, 2014). Kuhn perceives a paradigm as ‘a
set of generalizations, beliefs, and values of a community of specialists’ (Kuhn, in
Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). Creswell (2014:6) defines a paradigm or worldview as
‘a general philosophical orientation about the world and the nature of research that a
researcher brings to a study’. The definitions given by the scholars above are more or
less similar to each other in that two key features come out clearly. Firstly, the
definitions begin with an emphasis on the body of knowledge (i.e. beliefs and
philosophies) that researchers bring to a study; and, secondly, the definitions attempt
to make meaning of earthly entities, (i.e. natural/social structures/phenomena). In this
study, the term ‘paradigm’ is regarded as an underpinning philosophy from which a
researcher views and understands the diverse and complex nature of the study
phenomena in the world.

There are four distinct paradigms that researchers are exposed to, namely, ‘post-
positivism, constructivism, transformative and pragmatism’ (Creswell, 2014:6).
According to Creswell (2014:6), ‘post-positivists hold a deterministic philosophy in
which cause (probably) determine effects or outcomes’. Yilmaz (2013:312) states that

7
post-positivism ‘emphasizes the measurement and analysis of causal relationships
between isolated variables within a framework which is value-free, logical,
reductionistic, and deterministic, based on a priori theories’. It is a paradigm that
attempts to verify theories by using measurable and statistical data as is done in
laboratories when an experiment is being conducted. This paradigm is closely linked
to quantitative research in which ‘a researcher begins with a theory, collects data that
either supports or refutes the theory, and then makes necessary revisions and
conducts additional tests’ (Creswell, 2014:7).

The constructivism paradigm, unlike post-positivism, does not interrogate theories but
rather makes sense of the interpretation and understanding of the subjects’ view of a
world phenomenon that is under study. In other words, the constructivists try to make
meanings of social constructs. Yilmaz (2013:312) states that the constructivist
paradigm:

Explores what it assumes to be a socially constructed dynamic reality through

a framework which is value-laden, flexible, descriptive, holistic, and context
sensitive; i.e. an in-depth description of the phenomenon from the perspectives
of the people involved.

The transformative paradigm according to Creswell (2014:9), ‘holds that research

inquiry needs to be intertwined with politics and a political change agenda to confront
social oppression at whatever levels it occurs’. This paradigm aims to redress the
needs of marginalised groups of people in a society that are often neglected due to
their inability to meet certain requirements as set by legal institutions.

Lastly, the pragmatic paradigm ‘arises out of actions, situations, and consequences
rather than antecedent conditions’ (Creswell, 2014:10). The pragmatic paradigm is
interested in the feasible action of what works and practical solutions to identified
problems. Pragmatism is closely linked to mixed methods of inquiry as it uses multiple
methods of research primarily to gather more detailed data of the problem under study
(Creswell, 2014). In the light of the complexity of the problem in this study, the
pragmatic paradigm was chosen as being suitable for this particular research because
it enabled the researcher to employ multiple methods of research to gather in-depth
data of quality education in the Zambezi region of Namibia.
8
The research approach that the researcher employed in this study was that of mixed
methods or mixed research, rather than the qualitative or the quantitative approaches
to research alone. Caruth (2013:113) defines mixed methods research as ‘a method
of both quantitative and qualitative designs in the same research study, evolved in
response to the observed limitations of both quantitative and qualitative designs’.
Similarly, Creswell (2014:4) defines mixed methods research as ‘an approach to
inquiry that entails collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, integrating the two
forms of data, and using distinct designs that may involve philosophical assumptions
and theoretical frameworks’. The underlying principle behind the mixed research
approach is that the combination of the two traditional research methods stated above
provides a more complete understanding of a research problem than either approach
alone (Creswell, 2014). The researcher used the mixed methods approach in this study
because it has the potential of producing a more complete picture of what is being
researched by combining information from complementary kinds of data sources
(Denscombe, 2008).

Despite the fact that the qualitative and quantitative research approaches are distinct
from each other, the two approaches are not perceived as being direct antonyms or
polar opposites but are seen as representing different ends on a continuum (Newman
& Benz, 1998). Thus, any given research will tend to lean towards either side of the
continuum, thereby, making it more qualitative than quantitative or vice versa.

The goal of the mixed methods research approach is not a rejection of the qualitative
or quantitative approaches, but rather draws the positive and negative aspects of both
in single research studies (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004:14). By utilising both
quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the researcher envisaged gaining an
in-depth understanding of the problem that was being researched rather than using a
mono-method research approach.

The disadvantages of the mixed research methods are that it requires the researcher
to have certain skills, time, and resources for extensive data collection and analysis
(Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). The researcher should be familiar with the major
characteristics of traditional qualitative research, which include: ‘induction, discovery,
exploration, theory/hypothesis generation; and, quantitative research: deduction,

9
confirmation, theory/hypothesis testing, explanation prediction, standardised data
collection, and statistical analysis’ (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004:14). Hence, in this
study, the researcher used skills gained from online short courses and seminars on
common methods of collecting quantitative data such as using measurement
instruments and closed-ended attitudinal scales (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). One
other disadvantage of the mixed methods approach is that it is time-consuming
because qualitative data collection and analysis often require more time than that
needed for quantitative data (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). However, the researcher
was privileged that his job description required him to conduct educational research.
This was an added advantage to him in terms of his research outputs. Due to the
increased demands associated with mixed methods design, the researcher teamed-
up with two or more colleagues from the same institution who had the methodological
and content expertise of qualitative and quantitative methods of research.

Due to the complex nature of this study at hand, the researcher used the pragmatic
research paradigm which, according to Creswell (2014:10), ‘emanates from actions,
situations and consequences rather than from antecedent conditions (as in post-
positivism)’. Thus, much focus of the study was placed on the research problem of
enhancing quality education in the Zambezi region using teacher self-assessment
strategies. As a philosophical underpinning of the mixed methods studies, Morgan
(2007), Patton (1988), Tashakkori and Teddlie (2010) convey its importance for
focusing attention on the research problem in social science research and then using
pluralistic approaches to derive knowledge about the problem (Creswell, 2014). An in-
depth discussion of the research paradigms will be discussed in more detail in Chapter
three.

1.7 HYPOTHESES FOR THE STUDY

Longman, (2010:226) defines a hypothesis as ‘a speculation concerning either

observed or expected relationships among phenomena’. However, in quantitative
research, hypotheses are formulated in advance of the research, based on theory and
previous research, while in qualitative research hypotheses emerge gradually in the
course of the research itself (Longman, 2010). In this mixed methods, the hypotheses
were formulated in response to the four sub-problems of the study (cf. par. 1.4) and

10
where placed in the discussion between the qualitative and quantitate phases in
Chapter five.

1.8 RESEARCH METHODS

1.8.1 Introduction

The researcher envisaged conducting an in-depth study of traditional and

contemporary literature on quality education including but not limited to the following
sources: ministerial documents, circulars, journals, conference proceedings, internet,
forum presentations, books, dissertations and theses. The rationale for consulting such
valuable sources of literature was to assess and determine the ‘knowledge gap’
pertaining to literature on quality education from a national and international context.
After establishing the ‘knowledge gap’ pertaining to quality education, the next task
was for the researcher to add value to the research/knowledge base by developing
feasible teacher self-assessment strategies that can enhance quality education in the
Zambezi region. The researcher’s past experience of co-ordinating School
Improvement Program activities for the Academy for Educational Development (AED)
served as an additional advantage to enable him to strategise how schools can develop
effective self-assessment strategies that can enhance quality education in the Zambezi
region of Namibia.

Thus, the researcher intended to search for reality and knowledge on quality of
education that would benefit remote schools. This valuable knowledge of literature
could also benefit the knowledge base of the academia that is passionate about quality
education. However, it is worth noting that a solution to quality education cannot be
over-generalised to become the solution to all problems pertaining to quality education.
This is so because the solutions in existing literature on quality education are divergent
due to different unique contexts in which the notion of quality education is being
perceived and implemented. Gorard and Taylor (2004:9), conclude that ‘it is very much
a matter of … fitting the method or technique to what is being investigated’.

1.8.2 Population and sampling

The population of the study comprised forty-three (43) combined schools which are
state schools in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The schools are classified as
11
‘combined schools’ because they combine four different phases, i.e. pre-primary –
Grade 0; lower primary – Grades 1 to 4; upper primary – Grades 5 to 7; and junior
secondary – Grades 8 to 10. More than two-thirds of learners in the Zambezi region
are in the primary phase totalling 20 515 (Ministry of Education, 2012). The researcher
decided to target combined schools because of his past work experience at combined
schools while working under the Ministry of Education as head of department (HoD)
and deputy school principal. Additionally, the researcher worked closely with school
principals and teachers of combined schools as a Teacher Professional Development
Coordinator for AED / USAID Namibia in the Zambezi region from 2002 to 2009.

Schools in the Zambezi region are divided into five educational circuits, namely, Bukalo
Chinchimane, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma and Sibbinda. These circuits comprise of 12 to
more than 20 groups of schools each. The circuits are further divided into clusters of
schools ‘that are geographically as close and accessible to each other as possible’
(Ward, Mendelsohn & Dittmar, 2002:4). In this study, five (5) out of 43 (12%) of the
total population of combined schools were sampled for the study. The sample
comprised of five school principals who participated in face-to-face interviews, four
heads of departments who partook in a focus group interview, and fifty-four teachers
who completed a Likert-scale questionnaire. A stratified random sampling approach
was used to ensure that all five circuits were equally represented, rather than an
ordinary sampling approach where there is no guarantee that the schools would come
from each of the five circuits (Fowler, 2009). Creswell (2014:158), states that
stratification means ‘that specific characters of individuals are represented in the
sample and the sample reflects the true proportion in the population of individuals with
certain characteristics’. In this case, school principals, heads of departments, and
teachers were a representative sample of the combined schools.

1.8.3 Research design, data collection instruments, and data analysis/

presentation

In this study, the researcher attempted to integrate qualitative and quantitative

research approaches to collect qualitative and quantitative data. An exploratory
sequential mixed methods design was adopted to collect both qualitative and

12
quantitative data sequentially during two different phases of the data collection
process.

During the first phase, the researcher collected qualitative data from the sample of
school principals and heads of departments by using face-to-face and focus group
interviews, respectively. The face-to-face or one-to-one interview method was used to
collect qualitative data on school principals’ views on the four sub-problems of the
study (cf. par. 1.4). The interviews probed school principals on how self-assessment
strategies can be developed to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi region
and also to establish what recourses are available to ensure that quality education is
realised in the Zambezi region. Discursive data gathered during this phase was
analysed primarily to deduce common themes and patterns of how self-assessment
can be utilised to enhance quality education in schools. In Mouton’s words (2001:108),

The aim of the analysis is to understand the various constitutive elements of

one’s data through an inspection of the relationships between concept
constructs or variables, and to see whether there are patterns or trends that can
be identified or isolated, or to establish themes in the data.

According to Patton (1988:335), a focus group interview ‘is an interview with a small
group of people on a specific topic’. Morgan (1988) suggests that a focus group should
have between four and twelve people. In this study, a minimum number of four HoDs
formed a quorum for the focus group. Zemke and Kramlinger (1982:85) state that ‘the
objective of a focus group interview is to acquire a set of responses from a group of
people familiar with the topic, service, experience, or product being discussed’. In this
case, a group of heads of departments were engaged in a focus group interview
primarily to gather a wide range of information on self-assessment strategies to
enhance quality education in the Zambezi region. The focus group interview was used
to solicit HoDs’ opinions of what entails quality education in general. It also sought to
find out if self-assessment strategies were applied in schools and, if so, how?
Additionally, the focus group interview also attempted to find out the school principals’
roles in ensuring that quality of education is enhanced using self-assessment
strategies at their respective schools.

13
The aforementioned methods of inquiry are called ‘qualitative research’ because their
measurement procedures usually involve verbal descriptions and interpretations rather
than statistical analysis of numerical data (Borg, Gall, & Gall, 1993). The qualitative
research methods are methods that are primarily concerned with stories and accounts
including subjective understandings, feelings, opinions and beliefs. As Creswell
(2014:226) puts it, ‘the intent of the strategy is to develop better measurements with
specific samples of populations and to see if data from a few individuals (in qualitative
phase) can be generalized to a large sample of a population (in quantitative phase)’.

Furthermore, during the first stage of the research, the researcher provided verbal
descriptions, including quotations and excerpts from Ministerial documents, to justify
certain trends of how self-assessment enhances quality education in the Zambezi
region (Borg et al., 1993). Thereafter, the researcher analysed and interpreted
qualitative data collected during focus group interviews to inform the design of a Likert-
scale questionnaire that was used during the second phase of the data collection
process.

During the second phase of the exploratory sequential mixed methods study,
quantitative research methods were used to gather structured data that could be
interpreted numerically (Matthews & Ross, 2010). The respondents, namely, teachers
were given Likert-scale questionnaires to complete that emanated from the school
principals’ opinions during the first phase of the research. Structured questionnaires
were designed to enable respondents to score and rate their own understanding of
practices that enhance or inhibit quality education in schools. The questionnaires
sought to find out the teachers’ perceptions on the four sub-problems of the study (cf.
par. 1.4). The quantitative data obtained during the second phase was analysed using
an analytic software programme called the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) and Excel. This enabled the researcher to analyse and interpret quantitative
data in tabular form and spread sheets according to variables and values of at least
agree or disagree with statements in the Likert-scale questionnaires (Babbie & Mouton,
2010).

14
 1.9 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY TOWARDS THEORY AND PRACTICE

This mixed methods approach sought to establish school-based initiatives that schools
in the Zambezi region of Namibia can use to enhance the quality of education in
schools. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge pertaining to the
complex notions of quality and quality education in general. It further advances the use
of viable self-assessment strategies that school principals and teachers can explore to
enhance quality education in schools.

The participants’ perceptions signal a need for the Ministry of Education to accord
teachers the freedom to explore the use of alternative teacher self-assessment
strategies to supplement the current use of teacher self-evaluation (TSE). Therefore,
this study is significant in contributing to school policy changes that can allow school
principals and teachers to explore and adapt feasible self-assessment strategies to
improve the quality of education in the Zambezi region (cf. par. 6.6.1).

1.10 RELIABILITY, VALIDITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE RESEARCH

In this study, the researcher employed a mixed-method of research to collect both

quantitative and qualitative data. By using the qualitative research method, the
researcher aimed at giving an explanation and identifying a relationship between
variables. The quantitative research, on the other hand, enabled the researcher to
understand the phenomenon under study in its natural context prior to extrapolating
the findings to similar situations (Sithole, Higson-Smith, & Bless, 2013).

Thus, the quality of quantitative research was assessed through measures of reliability,
validity and objectivity, whereas, the quality of the qualitative research was evaluated
through measures of trustworthiness, credibility, transferability, dependability,
triangulation and confirmability (Sithole et al., 2013).

Van der Stoep and Johnston (2009:62) describe reliability as, ‘the extent to which a
measure yields the same scores across different times, groups of people, or versions
of the instrument’. As was pointed out in the preceding section, the researcher used
individual interviews, focus group interviews and questionnaires primarily to increase
the reliability of the research. The researcher intended to adopt a holistic approach to

15
the entire study to gather accurate data from different informants on specific themes of
quality and quality education.

According to Creswell (2014:201), ‘qualitative validity means that the researcher

checks for the accuracy of the findings by employing certain procedures’. In this study,
the researcher employed a combination of various strategies or data collection
techniques to check the accuracy of collected data through extensive ministerial
literature reviews, focus group interviews, and Likert-scale questionnaires.

This study based its reliability mainly on Guba’s model of trustworthiness, which
centres on four criteria: ‘truth – value, applicability, consistency and neutrality’
(Krefting, 1991:215). The researcher used this model as a mechanism to double-check
the methodological strategies and findings as to whether they were consistent, stable
over time, and whether they was consistency in administration of the research
instruments (Creswell, 2014).

The first criterion of ‘truth value’ according to Krefting (1991:4), ‘establishes how
confident the researcher is with the truth of the findings based on the study design,
informants, and context’. Sithole et al. (2013:237) perceive ‘true value’ as being similar
to ‘credibility’ since it seeks to convince that the findings depict the truth of the reality
under study, or, in other words, that they make sense. In this study, the researcher
tapped into the personal experiences of school principals and heads of departments
to gather their personal opinions and beliefs about quality and quality education in
general.

The second criterion of ‘applicability’ (Krefting, 1991:216) or ‘transferability’ (Sithole et

al., 2013:237) refers to the degree to which the findings of the study can be applied to
other contexts and settings or with other groups. In this study, the researcher provides
demographic data detailing the description of the context in which the data was
collected to allow other researchers to compare and contrast the similarities and
dissimilarities of themes and patterns prevalent in remote schools.

The third criterion of trustworthiness is that of ‘consistency’ or ‘confirmability’ (Sithole

et al., 2013:237). This aspect considers the consistency of the data, that is, whether
the findings would be consistent if the enquiry were replicated with the same subjects

16
or in a similar context (Krefting, 1991). The researcher ensured that repeated
administration of designed instruments was piloted at one mainstream school and
reviewed to produce similar results.

The fourth criterion of trustworthiness, which is a measure of reliability, is that of

neutrality of the qualitative research section of the study. Neutrality refers to the ‘degree
to which the findings are only the functions of informants and conditions of the study’
(Krefting, 1991:216). In other words, ‘neutrality’ is the degree to which the findings are
a function solely of the informants and conditions of the research and not of other
influences or self-prejudice. Therefore, in this study, the researcher was cautious and
prudent in administering the research procedures to ensure that the results were not
biased. That was done through triangulation, which is one strategy that enhances
credibility. According to Krefting, (1991:219), ‘triangulation ensures that the researcher
investigates all aspects of the phenomenon under study and also ensures that data
remain as it is, because it is cross-checked’. Triangulation enabled the researcher to
get a better understanding of the research problem under investigation from different
positions (Denscombe, 2008). In other words, a single method could not adequately
gain in-depth knowledge on the phenomenon of qualify education enhancement in
schools. Hence, the researcher ensured that knowledge gained on quality education
was comprehensively developed for credibility.

In addition to Guba’s model of trustworthiness, the researcher used validity strategies

in the first phase of the study (e.g. member checking, triangulating data sources) to
demonstrate the accuracy of the researcher’s findings. During the second phase, the
researcher drew meaningful and useful inferences from the interview transcripts and
Likert-scale scores (Creswell, 2014). This was to ensure that collected data from both
qualitative and quantitative methods inform and supplement each other.

This study was limited to teachers, HoDs and school principals who are currently
employed by the Ministry of Education in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The study
focused on a selection of specific quality features, including the following:
Relationships; Communication; Support for teaching and learning; School principal
roles; Time; and Recourses for quality education enhancement.

17
From a variety of qualitative and quantitative data that was collected from the
respondents stated above, the researcher intended to gather data that was based on
inputs from similar contexts that were necessary for triangulation purposes. The next
section will expound on how this thesis was planned.

1.11 PLANNING OF THE STUDY

The thesis is divided into six chapters, excluding preliminary sections: abstract and
other background information.

1.11.1 Chapter 1: Introduction and orientation to the study

Chapter one presents a comprehensive contextual background of the study at hand by

briefly highlighting various interventions undertaken by the Ministry of Education to
improve the quality of education in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The chapter
identifies the research problem from which sub-problems of the study are drawn. It also
presents aim and objectives of the study followed by hypotheses. Additionally, Chapter
one presents the motivation, orientation and background to the study regarding the
role of the self-assessment strategies in enhancing quality education in the Zambezi
region. The research paradigm and the research approach used in the study - that
serve as the basis to determine suitable data collection methods of the study - are also
covered in Chapter one. Furthermore, it addresses and justifies the reliability, validity
and trustworthiness of this study and how it contributes towards education literature on
self-assessment as a strategy to enhance quality education with special reference to
the Zambezi region. Lastly, a chronological sequence of the chapters is presented prior
to the presentation of definitions of key concepts that are embedded in the study.

1.11.2 Chapter 2: Theoretical framework for the study

Chapter two presents a brief discourse on the notion of quality and what the concept
of ‘quality education’ entails. The chapter also presents a detailed analysis of the
quality theories and practices that originally emanate from ‘quality sages’ despite being
business oriented. The latest quality education strategy of teacher effectiveness
research, which is currently gaining momentum globally in enhancing quality education
in schools, is also presented in this chapter. The chapter also compares and contrasts
literature on the viability of self-assessment as a strategy to enhance quality education
18
in schools. Literature on successes and caveats/challenges in the use of self-
assessment as a mechanism for school improvement in the Zambezi region and other
local and international contexts are explored in Chapter two. The consequences of the
use of self-assessment to ensure quality education in the Zambezi region are also
presented in light of contemporary theories on quality education enhancement.

1.11.3 Chapter 3: The link between self-assessment strategies and quality

education

Chapter three outlines the link between self-assessment strategies and quality
education. The chapter presents an analysis of internationally recognised frameworks,
including the Dakar framework for action on quality education; UNESCO’s conception
of quality; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which advocates elements of
quality: cognitive development, social and emotional development (UNESCO, 2005).
Other quality models that are in congruence with the education sector, such as, the
Deming’s Prize, European Excellence and Malcolm Baldridge Education Quality
Awards, are also be presented in the chapter. The chapter concludes by presenting
effective self-assessment strategies that schools in the Zambezi region can adapt to
enhance their morale, personal and professional development and consequently
enhance quality education in schools (UNESCO, 2015).

1.11.4 Chapter 4: Research design

Chapter four addresses the philosophical underpinnings and the research approach of
the study with regard to qualitative, quantitative and mixed research methodologies in
great detail. In this chapter, the researcher highlights the importance of the chosen
research strategy, i.e. the mixed research design, and discusses and justifies the
chosen research method and the tools used thereof to collect both qualitative and
quantitative data. The chapter also focuses on the topics that are vital to the mixed
research approach, vis-à-vis: the research problem, research sub-problem, population
and sampling, instrumentation, data collection procedures, data analysis procedures,
reliability, validity and trustworthiness of the research project.

19
 1.11.5 Chapter 5: Presentation, analysis, and discussion of research findings

This chapter presents and analyses both qualitative and quantitative data results
collected by various instruments during the study. An analysis of graphic presentations
of the data and analysis of the participants’ biographical data such as gender, marital
status, age and experience in education, is presented in Chapter five. Finally, in-depth
analysis and discussion of research findings from face-to-face interviews, focus group
interviews, and structured questionnaires are presented.

1.11.6 Chapter 6: Summary, conclusions, findings, and recommendations

In Chapter six, research findings are discussed in light of relevant contemporary

literature with recommendations on how to successfully implement the teacher self-
assessment strategies to enhance quality education in the Zambezi region. The
empirical section of this study, which is an assessment and development of a model
self-assessment strategy, is presented in this chapter. Furthermore, the chapter also
presents the main outcome of this study, that is, the development and implementation
of self-assessment strategies that can enhance quality education in the Zambezi
region. The caveats and findings of the study are also presented in Chapter five.
Conclusions and recommendations regarding self-assessment as viable strategies to
enhance quality education are posited in this chapter prior to recommendations for
further research.

1.12 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS

 Education

Education in this study is defined as the process by which learners in combined schools
acquire knowledge and skills with support from teachers.

 Quality

Quality refers to the degree to which teachers and school principals satisfy the needs
of learners in combined schools.

20
  Quality education

Quality education is the continuous provision of effective teaching and learning

processes that meet and exceed the needs and expectations of learners in combined
schools.

 Quality enhancement

The practices of teachers and school principals to continuously improve the quality of
education in teaching and learning in combined schools.

 Recourses

Resources and/or opportunities that are available for exploration by teachers to

improve the quality of education in teaching and learning in combined schools.

 Self-assessment

Self-assessment is an integral and on-going internal quality assurance mechanism in

which teachers reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses to enhance quality
education in combined schools.

 Self-assessment strategies

Self-assessment strategies are quality assurance techniques that teachers use to

improve the quality of education in teaching and learning in combined schools.

 Teacher comptence

Teacher competence refers to teachers who are professionally competent in designing

and implementing self-assesment strategies to enhance the quality of education in
teaching and learning in combined schools.

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 1.13 CHAPTER SUMMARY

The concept of ‘self-assessment’ is relatively new in the Zambezi region and is not
amenable to its imposition in schools. However, self-assessment could be used
differently in different school contexts according to local conditions and professional
needs of schools. Self-assessment has great potential in empowering schools,
especially teachers, to continuously improve their pedagogical and professional skills.
By critically reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses, teachers can sytematically
plan and implement school and national policies that are geared towards the realisation
of quality education in schools. In the next chapter, a theoretical framework for the
study will be examined and explored from an international and local perspective.

22
 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY

2.1 INTRODUCTION

In this theoretical framework, the sub-problem of what entails quality and quality
education in general (cf. par. 1.4 and 1.5) will be discussed. An exposition of
international perspectives of ISO 9000 will be presented in the chapter. The African
and Namibian perspectives of quality will also be covered in Chapter two. Theories of
quality gurus, such as Edward W. Deming (1988), Joseph M. Juran (1979), Kaoru
Ishikawa (1976), as well as modern and contemporary advocates of quality in
education, such as Daniel Muijs and David Reynolds (2011), will be discussed. One of
these theories that best suits the problem at hand will be chosen to form the theoretical
framework for the study.

2.2 AN EXPOSITION OF THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY

2.2.1 Introduction

The notion of quality although emanating from manufacturing and production industry
is being gradually embraced by the education sector worldwide. However, many
education stakeholders strongly believe that education is not meeting their
expectations in the competitive global village (Sohel-Uz-Zaman & Anjalin, 2016). In
this study, quality is regarded as focusing on services rather than products or material
goods. As this thesis focuses on quality enhancement in education in teaching and
learning, it is imperative that an explanation of the notion of quality be made explicit
from the onset, as different scholars and schools of thought have posited several
different and often contrasting definitions of ‘quality’. The next section will elaborate on
what quality is.

2.2.2 Defining quality

The term quality manifests itself as a multi-dimensional concept that has many
meanings. In other words, there is no single universally accepted definition of quality.
However, there are common inherent characteristics that can be used as indexes of
quality. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 provides an
23
international perspective of quality standards in which quality is defined as, ‘the degree
to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils a need or expectation that is stated,
generally implied or obligatory’ (Cited in Hoyle, 2001:654). The ISO 9000 uses seven
quality management principles to define quality. Quality management principles are
defined as ‘a set of fundamental beliefs, norms, rules and values that are accepted as
true and can be used a basis for quality management’ (ISO, 2015:1):

 Customer focus: (The focus is for teachers to meet and exceed learners’ needs).

 Engagement of people: (To engage and respect teachers as individuals).

 Leadership: (The focus is to establish unity of purpose and direction for teachers
in meeting the school’s quality goals).

 Process approach: (The focus is for teachers to understand the school system
and activities for improvement)

 Improvement: (The focus is on continuous improvement of teaching, learning

and curriculum in schools).

 Evidence-based decision making: (The focus is on the use of analysed data to

inform decision-making processes).

 Relationship management: (The focus is on guiding school principals to manage

relationships among teachers).

The African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration
(2011:6) views quality as the provision of services that are ‘most effective, efficient and
economical manner, consistent with the highest possible standards … to meet the
evolving needs of users’. Similarly, the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN,
2012:1) perceives quality as a provision of ‘professional, efficient, effective, and
economic public services’ to meet the needs of customers. The two above-stated
definitions refer to quality as high standards of services that satisfy the needs of
customers.

Some prominent and prolific scholars well known as the ‘quality gurus’ have also
attempted to define the notion of quality from various ideological perspectives. Philip
B. Crosby (1979), probably the most significant and influential writer in the commercial
or industrial field in the USA and Europe, defines quality as conformance to customer

24
requirements and not necessarily intrinsic goodness. Edward W. Deming (1988)
defines quality with reference to quality management in which he advocates the use of
statistical methods to reduce variability and so improve production through precision,
performance and attention to customers’ requirements. Joseph M. Juran (1979),
generally recognised as the most intellectually profound of the management theorists,
defines quality as ‘fitness for use’ (Juran and Godfrey, 1979:113).

James (1996) identifies three quality views, which are psychological, process, and
product-based. The first view of quality, which is psychologically based, is dependent
mainly on the individual defining quality. This is also common in the education sector
where quality is defined differently by different stakeholders. The root cause for the
differences in defining quality derives from the interests that stakeholders want to
achieve in education. In this particular study, the psychological view of quality is
regarded as being personal and dependent on the individual defining it. However, it
needs to be pointed out that, despite varied psychologically based definitions of quality
education, educational institutions such as schools are expected to incorporate all the
different views of quality from all the stakeholders in order to meet their needs and
expectations. Teachers who use self-assessment strategies to critically identify their
strengths and weaknesses intrinsically use the psychological quality view to enhance
quality education in schools.

The second view of quality is process-based. This view is based on the manufacturing
processes of industry in which quality is determined by a precise and measurable
variable, and differences in quality thus reflect differences in the quantity of some
ingredient or attribute seen to be possessed by a product (Garvin, 1988; James, 1996).
In an educational context, the process-based quality view is determined by the
processes and systems that educational institutions use to meet the national goals of
education. In this study, a process-based quality view entails how schools are
resourced with human, physical and financial resources. Schools that have well-
qualified teachers and are well-resourced with physical facilities (e.g. textbooks,
internet services, library, classrooms, laboratories, etc.) are thus perceived as
providing quality education. Teachers who are willing to partake in innovative ways of
continuous improvement such as the use of self-assessment can be regarded as using
the process-based model quality view to bring about improvement in schools.
25
The third view of quality is product-based. Thus, finished products provide the basis
for quality assurance. Quality is vested in the product and not with the individual. In an
educational context, this view perceives quality as based on the output of an institution.
Quality is seen from students who graduate from an educational institution in terms of
employability, skills, competency, efficiency, effectiveness, independence and
innovative thinking. In this study, the product-based view is regarded as the graduates’
skills and competency in the marketplace. Teachers who are involved in using self-
assessment strategies determine whether they are quality products by the manner in
which they contribute to the continuous improvement of quality education in schools.

In an effort to establish a common understanding of the notion of quality, Garvin (1988)

categorised the above-stated views of quality into five bases, namely:

 Transcendent;

 Product-based;

 User-based;

 Manufacturing-based; and

 Value-based.

The aforementioned quality views, though distinct from one another, are valid and
comprehensible perceptions of the complex notion of quality.

2.2.2.1 The transcendent quality view

Garvin (1988) suggests that a transcendental view of quality is subjective and personal
to one’s own experience. This definition ‘focuses on customers’ needs and highlights
the importance of knowing who customers are, what their needs are and how to satisfy
them’ (Elassy, 2015:252). James (1996:81) expounds on Garvin’s transcendental view
of quality that ‘quality is something we cannot touch, but know instantly and can differ,
over time, in relation to the same thing’. However, it is contended that a consumer who
receives a service does so because the quality is reinforced positively by that service
and consequent use of it. In an educational context, schools are expected to render
quality education by various stakeholders. The moment when the stakeholders’
educational service needs are not satisfied, the quality view of education becomes
26
problematic. The definition of quality as meeting customers’ needs in the education
sector is questionable. For an example, how can learners in pre-primary and lower
primary phases be capable of determining what their needs are and whether their
needs are being met? (Green, 1994). However, teachers as the stakeholders of
schools are capable of identifying their needs and ascertain the degree to which their
professional needs are met through self-assessment.

2.2.2.2 The product-based quality view

Garvin’s product-based quality view contends that quality is dependent on the product
and not with the customer. In an educational context, quality is seen to rest solely with
the attributes of quality educational services provided by schools and not with the
individual teachers. This approach provides objective measures of quality but has a
disadvantage of assuming that the presence of an attribute implies quality education
services (Rao et al, 1996). Thus, the quality attributes that teachers are expected to
possess (e.g. high educational qualifications and vast teaching experiences) do not
make teachers become effective. However, it is the teachers’ innovative skills of
teamwork and collaboration that can lead teachers to become effective in realising
quality education in schools.

2.2.2.3 The user-based quality view

The user-based quality view by Garvin (1988) is defined on the premise that the user
is regarded as the sole determiner of quality and that quality has no meaning except
in relation to the purpose of the product or service (Garvin, 1988; Elassy, 2015). Juran
refers to the user-based approach as ‘fitness for use’ (cf. par. 2.2.2) which implies that
services that meet the customers’ needs are regarded as quality (Juran & Godfrey,
1979:113). Despite the fact that customers possess different needs, they are inclined
to perceive quality in terms of services or products that satisfy their different needs in
a specific context. This, therefore, reflects a highly personalised and subjective view of
quality, which is equated with customer satisfaction (James, 1996). Furthermore, the
problem with the fitness for purpose approach is that it is not easy to define what the
purpose of educational institutions should be as their purposes differ greatly depending
on who defines the purpose (Elassy, 2015).

27
 2.2.2.4 The manufacturing-based quality view

The manufacturing-based quality view by Garvin (1988) is closely linked to Crosby’s

conformance to requirements. It is usually used in the public sector and has its origins
in the notions of quality control in the manufacturing industry (Elassy, 2015). Under this
quality view, the quality of a product is determined by its conformance to pre-
determined sets of standards. In education, for example, examination results are often
used to measure the extent to which schools conform to academic standards as
prescribed in the syllabi and curricula. Schools that perform exceptionally well in
examinations are regarded to have conformed to the set academic standards and are
perceived to be quality schools. Hence, non-performing schools are often urged to
emulate such schools. But, the disadvantage with this view is that the quality of a
service is defined in terms of standards without taking into cognition other important
factors that can lead schools to perform very well. These factors often include the
availability or non-availability of human resources (effective teachers) in schools. In
practice, examination results cannot be perceived as the only indicator of quality as
they are subject to examination irregularities at times and to teaching methods that
encourage rote learning without understanding.

2.2.2.5 The value-based view

Finally, the value-based view of quality, which is founded on the psychological

understanding of the meaning of ‘value’, is an independent determination that reflects
an individual’s bias of the price being invested in the service being sought. Industry
has influenced consumers to perceive that products or services that are of high price
are automatically of high quality and that a low price implies low quality (James, 1996).
In an educational context, stakeholders (government, parents / guardians) invest
physical and human resources in schools with high expectations for high investment
returns in the form of high examination pass rates, for example. The private schools,
which in most cases are expensive, are perceived by stakeholders as fulfilling the
value-based view of quality. This is a common definition that education stakeholders
use to determine their value for money. However, there is no direct correlation that
schools which levy high fees perform exceptionally well. Some schools that levy low

28
fees, as is typical with rural schools in the Zambezi region, for example, outshine
private schools that charge learners high school fees.

Unfortunately, most of Garvin’s views are subjective with the exception of the
manufacturing and product-based approaches, which have elements of objectivity.
However, both approaches fail to account sufficiently for customer preferences.
According to Rao et al. (1996), ‘the user-based approach relies solely on the
consumer’s input, but methods for obtaining this input are unreliable and unable to
predict changes in preferences’.

Despite the fact that quality is an abstract and complex concept, various definitions of
quality have been posited by various information sources and scholars. Collins
Dictionary (2011:839) defines the concept of quality as ‘the degree of standard of
excellence, [or] a distinguishing characteristic or attribute [of an entity]’. Hoyle
(2001:21) defines quality ‘as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils
a need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory’. Despite the above-
definitions being simple and concise, the question is, how can we conceptualise such
definitions in an educational context?

2.2.3 Approaches to the definition of quality

Green (1994:15-16) also outlines five approaches to the definition of quality as follows:

 Quality as the conformance to standards;

 Quality as fitness for purpose;
 Quality as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals;
 Quality as meeting customers’ stated needs;
 The traditional concept of quality.

2.2.3.1 Quality as the conformance to standards

The quality view of conformance to standards applies to the education sector as

educational services can be measured in terms of conformance to the national
standards of education. According to Green, (1994:13), ‘the quality of a [product or]
service is measured in terms of its conformance to the specifications, to see if it meets
the standards set’. In education, the concept of ‘standards’ means the level of
29
conditions that educational institutions such as schools must meet. In the educational
context of the Zambezi region, this implies that schools are expected to conform to the
national education standards by rating themselves against a four-point scale. The
conformance to national standards is usually followed by an external audit to ascertain
whether quality is being realised in schools with regard to conformance. This quality
view is subject to criticism, as the ratings of conformance to set standards can be
questionable as there is room for subjectivity in ratings by schools and external
auditors.

2.2.3.2 Quality as fitness for use

The definition of quality by Juran and Godfrey (1979:113) as ‘fitness for use’ (cf. par.
2.2.2) is well embraced in the education sector. Green (1994) contends that most
education policymakers embrace this quality view, as it argues that quality has no
meaning except in relation to the purpose of the product or service. Just like other
quality views, the ‘fitness for use’ view is not free from criticism. The main criticism of
this quality view is that it is not easy to define the purpose of educational institutions,
including schools, as their purposes differ greatly and also that their purposes are
diverse depending on who defines the purpose.

2.2.3.3 Quality as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals

This quality view is centred on school evaluation processes. This view contends that
schools that have clear mission statements are most likely to meet the goals of the
school. A high-quality institution, therefore, is seen as one that has a clear mission and
knows how to meet its goals (Juran & Godfrey, 1979). However, this quality view is
limited by the fact that it is difficult to determine whether all set goals can ever be
achieved as most goals range from medium to long-term goals, which require long
periods of time to be realised. In this particular study, schools are required by the
national standards to set five-year goals in their SDPs. It is difficult for schools in the
Zambezi region that are generally rated as low performers to achieve their institutional
goals within five-year periods. Furthermore, an attempt by schools to achieve
institutional visions and goals is compounded by the fact that set goals are not static
but rather change with time.

30
 2.2.3.4 Quality as meeting customers’ stated needs

Many educationists generally accept the quality view of meeting customers' needs and
expectations as being legitimate in the education sector. It is important, therefore, for
any educational institutions, including schools, to know who the customers are, what
their needs are and how to satisfy these needs. In education, customers include but
are not limited to learners, parents, school board members, ministerial agencies, etc.,
whose needs and expectations need to be satisfied. In this particular study, teachers
are regarded as the major clients of schools. However, this definition is liable to
criticism because it is not clear as to whether teachers can be rightly regarded as
customers, product or both (Elassy, 2015).

2.2.3.5 The traditional concept of quality

The traditional quality view has its main focus on the notion of excellence as a
distinctive feature of a product or service. In an educational context, the excellence
quality view might be equated to elite schools that were established before
independence that are renowned for producing outstanding examination results.
However, reputation can easily become a proxy for excellence, which inherently gives
an added advantage to the old and rich schools. This study critiques this traditional
view of quality in which quality is linked to well-resourced schools only and not to
remote schools as found in the Zambezi region.

Generally, all the aforementioned definitions emanate basically from customers’

satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a product or service. The definitions regard the final
arbitrators of quality as customers who use a product or service. In a contemporary
sense, the notion has evolved to what is generally regarded today as, ‘meeting or
exceeding the expectations of the customer’ (Wilson, Morris, & Everard, 2004:193). In
other words, the customer is regarded as the main determiner of quality. The
satisfaction or dissatisfaction that a customer receives from a product or service
rendered will determine whether a product or service received meets the expected
outcomes or not. If it is in the affirmative, then the product or service will be regarded
as quality, whereas, a product or service received that does not meet the expectations
of a client will be perceived as having no quality. As Bradley (1993:65) puts it, ‘quality
is accomplished by continually meeting and exceeding client needs’. Quality is not
31
static but is rather dynamic. Quality is a continuous phenomenon that often improves
in satisfying the end users of products or services. Johnson (1993:15) concludes that
‘quality, therefore, is the ability of any product or service to meet the needs of the user
of that product or service’.

In education, quality is seen to be geared towards the fulfilment of the needs and
expectations of various stakeholders, e.g. learners/students, parents, guardians,
employers, higher institutions of learning, non-governmental organisations,
governments, etc. In practice, an attempt by any educational institution to satisfy the
needs of varied and numerous stakeholders requires identification of all stakeholders’
needs, first. Consequently, such an educational institution will be better placed to
define quality in a multi-faceted way to meet the needs and expectations of the various
stakeholders.

In summary, quality is a multifaceted term for which any attempt to holistically define it
is not possible. The complexity of defining quality is brought about by many factors that
include the diversity of organisations, private/public sectors, expectations of the service
provider/supplier and the client/consumer; the client context in which the term is used;
and also the person(s) or agencies defining it. Hence, a universal definition of quality
is problematic and difficult to define due to the dynamic nature of the concept.

However, in this particular study, quality will be regarded as the continuous satisfaction
of learners’ needs and expectations by teachers in schools. Quality education can be
realised by teachers that continuously aim to satisfy the educational needs of their
learners in a systematic and sustainable manner. This study posits to empower
teachers as professionals to reflect critically on their strengths and weaknesses by
using systematic mechanisms, such as self-assessment strategies. The study further
propagates the key roles that school principals can play in supporting teachers to
engage in continuous professional development activities with the aim of enhancing
quality education in schools in the Zambezi region.

32
 2.2.4 Quality assurance and quality enhancement

As this study aims to enhance quality education in the Zambezi region (cf. par.1.), it is
necessary that a clarity of key concepts that are closely related to one another be made
clear: quality control (QC), quality assurance (QA), and quality enhancement (QE).
Juran and Godfrey (1979:95) define quality control as ‘a universal managerial process
for conducting operations so as to provide stability – to prevent adverse change and
to maintain the status quo’. The ISO 9000 defines quality control as ‘a process for
maintaining standards of quality that prevents and corrects in such standards so that
the resultant output meets customer needs and expectations’ (cited in Hoyle,
2001:654). Both definitions of quality control are skewed towards the production of
goods in industry which is not relevant to the education sector that provides educational
services.

Quality assurance is also defined differently. Hoyle, (2001:654) defines quality

assurance as ‘part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality
requirements will be fulfilled. UNAM (2010:16) defines quality assurance as ‘an all-
embracing term referring to an on-going, continuous process of evaluating the quality
of an education system’. Similarly, the Polytechnic of Namibia (2014:7) defines quality
assurance as ‘a process that ensures, implements, maintains and develops the quality
of provision through continuous evaluation and improvement’. The Ministry of
Education does not give a precise definition of quality assurance but rather centres the
notion of quality assurance in standard practices for schools that are guided by school-
self-evaluation instruments. Quality assurance can thus be defined as a continuous
and systematic approach to evaluation by educational institutions such as schools to
determine the extent to which the institutional goals are being realised.

Elassy (2015) defines quality enhancement in medical terms. According to Elassy

(2015:256), quality enhancement is ‘a subsequent “treatment” process to develop the
limitations that QA discovered’. QE is an aftermath of the quality assurance systems
that are often put in place by institutional and national agencies. Quality enhancement
can be regarded as a deliberate and systematic process of innovation that leads to
improvement of the systems that have been quality assured.

33
Elassy (2015) uses medical terms ‘diagnosis’ and ‘treatment’ in Figure 1 below to
illustrate the difference that exists between the two concepts of quality assurance (QA)
and quality enhancement (QE) despite them being interrelated and dependent on one
another.

The continuum of quality QA – QE (Elassy, 2015:256)

QA QE

Assessment Quality Improvement

Diagnosis Treatment

Figure 1: The continuum of quality QA - QE

From the illustration in Figure 1, QA is perceived as a process having two functions: of

assessment and diagnostic purposes of an organisation’s system such as schools,
whereas QE is perceived as a “treatment” process that aims to improve or address the
weaknesses identified by the QA processes of an organisation (Elassy, 2015). The two
concepts are closely related and dependent on one another. In education, quality
assurance mechanisms are put in place by education authorities to ensure that schools
implement what the ministerial policies stipulate. In turn, schools are expected to use
information obtained from quality assurance instruments to make necessary changes
for improvement purposes. In this study, the use of self-assessment strategies by
school principals, heads of departments and teachers can be regarded as an
innovative way of continuous professional development to enhance quality education
in the Zambezi region.

Table 1 presents the differences that exist between QA and QE processes. In

education systems, the QA process is seen as focusing mainly on formative
assessment and accountability of the teaching and learning processes, whereas QE is
seen as focusing mainly on the formative process geared towards the improvement
and development of the teaching and learning processes of an educational system.
Thus, any teaching and learning defects that are identified by the QA processes are
addressed by the QE processes in order to improve and sustain the strengths of the
teaching and learning processes in education (Elassy, 2015).

34
The two concepts, though having some differences in scope, as shown in Table 1
below, illustrate that the quality processes are interrelated to one another, in the sense
that QA processes assure quality, whereas, the QE processes serve as the mechanism
for improvement purposes.

The relevance of Table 1 to this study is manifold. The quality assurance system that
schools in the Zambezi region use is a “top-down” model to enhance quality education
in schools. Thus, education experts from the Programme Quality Assurance (PQA) unit
as well as relevant education bodies such as the National Institute for Educational
Development (NIED) design quality assurance systems that schools are expected to
implement and adhere to. This study, however, advocates for a “bottom-up” strategy
in which teachers, through teamwork and support from school principals, can initiate
self-assessment strategies that can enhance the quality of education in schools in the
Zambezi region.

Table 1: The differences between quality assurance and quality enhancement

(Biggs, 2003)

Quality Assurance Quality Enhancement

Gives insufficient weight to the Gives considerable weight to the

teaching / learning processes teaching / learning processes
Tends to be associated more with Tends to be associated more with
assessment and accountability improvement and development
Meets external standards Meets internal standards
Moves from top to lower level Moves from lower to top level
A summative process A formative process
A quantitative performance A qualitative performance
Focuses on the past Focuses on the present and the
future
Less freedom (follows absolute rules) More freedom (uses flexible and
negotiated ways)
Gives a greater space to administrators Gives a greater space to academics

35
The current quality assurance systems that schools use in the Zambezi region are
susceptible to abuse by some school principals who can manoeuvre the data to
appease the external quality assurance agencies without consulting school staff. This
study, however, encourages teachers in school settings the flexibility to work in
departmental teams to enhance quality education in schools.

Finally, the prevailing quality assurance systems in the Zambezi region tend to be
generic in nature by virtue of applying the whole-school improvement initiatives as
attested by the implementation of the National Standards and Performance Indicators
for Namibia Schools in Namibia. However, this study puts more emphasis on improving
the teaching and learning processes that are meant to satisfy the needs and
expectations of teachers.

Wong (2012) gives an alternative view of quality assurance and quality enhancement
by positing an ecological perspective to address quality assurance and enhancement
issues in an educational context as depicted in Figure 2.

The ecology of quality assurance and enhancement (Wong, 2012:38-42)

Figure 2: The ecology of quality assurance and enhancement

The ecology of quality assurance and enhancement consists of three major themes:
integration, responsiveness and innovativeness. The interrelatedness and
interdependence of the three sub-systems: practitioners or teachers, the infrastructure,

36
and policies and practice, which constitute the larger system of quality assurance in an
education context depicts an integration process of an organisation’s system. The
three themes of the practitioner, infrastructure, as well as policies and practice, can
each be viewed as having a sub-ecosystem of their own in the larger ecosystem of
quality assurance at a macro-level of the school (Wong, 2012). The ecosystem enables
teachers and school principals to have a general overview of external and internal
factors that affect the school and to respond to these factors using innovative strategies
of quality enhancement that will be discussed in Chapter three.

In a school setting, the concept of ecology can help support school systems to focus
on both internal and external factors that enhance the quality of education provision.
The concepts of quality assurance and enhancement can be regarded to be in a
continuum state (as illustrated in Figure 2), which according to Wong (2012:42):

Requires constant redefinition or refinement of performance measurements, the

alignment of modified or new practices and standards with environmental
variables, and facilitation of the work process to increase efficiency and
enhance effectiveness of the service.

In other words, schools that apply this concept can create a more enabling teaching
and learning environment that can help to develop and implement quality assurance
and enhancement mechanisms. In this study, the ecology concept can help teachers
to work collaboratively in departmental teams to identify and address inadequacies of
their department’s workflow (Wong, 2012).

2.2.5 Quality in the school context

There is no single universally agreed upon definition of quality in education as stated

above. However, despite the vagueness of the meaning of quality in education, some
scholars and authorities posit that quality education is best perceived from the
contextual environment from which one is defining it such as teaching, learning and
curriculum which are the three major elements that determine quality education
(Dimmock, 1990). A change in one of the three major elements affects the other two
elements. In other words, the three elements of quality in education are interdependent

37
on one another. Dimmock (1990:201) perceives quality education in schools as
entailing one or more of the following:

 Improving the standards of teaching and teachers’ performance.

 Improving the standards of learning and learners’ performance.

 Providing a curriculum more relevant to learners’ needs.

This assumption of viewing quality in education indicates a strong link between

continuous professional development and quality [education enhancement)] –
especially in the areas of teaching and learning (Van Graan & Leu, 2006). This thesis
focuses mainly on the first segment where teachers are regarded as pivotal in
enhancing quality education in schools. The researcher, therefore, assumes that
schools that lack competent teachers who are equipped with the necessary teaching
skills and knowledge compromise effective implementation of the designed syllabi and
curricula to meet the needs, interests of education stakeholders including learners
(Ministry of Education, 1993).

West-Burnham (1992:32-33) views quality in schools using four key components of:
principles, people, prevention and processes:

Principles: the core purpose, vision and values of the school expressed

through its leadership and articulated in its mission statement.

People: the school is designed around people; it is flat, uses a team-based

approach, places enormous emphasis on learning and development and

stresses the importance of human relationships.

Prevention: the school works to minimise if not eliminate failure; prevention is

a shared philosophy applied to all activities.

Processes: Every organisational process is seen in terms of the extent to which

it meets customer needs.

38
He stresses that what is distinctive about these four elements is that they are
interdependent. Hence, quality schools are those that have all the four components
and are actively committed to improving each respectively.

The Ministry of education singles out teachers as being pivotal in ensuring that quality
is realised in schools. According to the Ministry of Education (1993:37):

The most important challenge in improving the quality of our education system
is to ensure that our teachers are well prepared for the major responsibilities
they carry … It is essential, therefore, that we help our teachers develop the
expertise and skills that will enable them to stimulate learning.

The Ministry of Education (2010) further identifies three sets of preconditions to help
school principals and teachers improve the quality of education in schools. Firstly, the
provision of quality education is dependent on the successful implementation of the
curriculum by teachers. Secondly, conditions in and around the school which promote
teaching and learning, including the teachers themselves; and thirdly, conditions in
society that enable learners to use knowledge and skills gained.

According to the Ministry of Education (2010:5), the curriculum itself should be

‘coherent and consistent, well-articulated, meaningful and relevant to the learner,
manageable by the teacher, and reflects the demands of society’. Teachers are thus
urged as the curriculum implementers to take ownership and implement it with
commitment. A set of preconditions for the successful implementation of the curriculum
by teachers and school principals as outlined by the Ministry of Education (2010:11) is
that:

- Teachers are appropriately and fully qualified to teach the phases and

subjects which they are entrusted with, and they are well-informed,

committed and competent.

- Teachers are equipped with all the necessary teaching aids, technology

and other relevant materials to support effective learning and have the

39
 skills to develop and adapt materials themselves to suit multi-ability groups

of learners.

- Teachers effectively teach so that learners progress evenly through each

phase, and only a few need to repeat to achieve the basic competencies.

Such learners need to receive learning support.

- Teachers apply the mechanisms in place to ensure early identification of

learning difficulties so that these may be addressed.

- Teachers adhere to the code of conduct.

- Teachers’ 40-hour working week is clearly set out and fully utilised

between 26 hours classroom contact time, and 14 hours distributed

between preparation and marking, co-curricular activities, contact with

parents/guardians, administrative work and continuous professional

development.

- The school principal is an effective instructional leader.

- The school board is active and supports the whole curriculum and co-

curricular activities.

- The home and community actively support the holistic development of the

learner.

The quality attributes of: curriculum, teaching and learning environment with special
reference to teachers, and the support that teachers receive from the school principals
served as the main basis for this study. Teachers, in particular, are singled out as being
one of the most important factors in helping schools improve as espoused by the
Ministry of Education (2010); Dimmock (1990); and West-Burnham (1992). This study,
therefore, sought to explore effective self-assessment strategies that can help and
support teachers to continually enhance quality education in schools.

40
2.2.6 Application of total quality management (TQM) in schools

Total quality management (TQM) in an education can be regarded as a school

management philosophy that seeks to continuously improve teaching, learning and
curriculum to satisfy the needs of learners. Sohel-Uz-Zaman and Anjalin (2016:2)
define TQM as ‘an effective management philosophy for continuous improvement,
customer satisfaction, and organisational excellence’. Ishikawa (1985) accentuates
that TQM is an effective strategy to enhance the performance of a school. Crosby
(1985) regards TQM as a systematic process that ensures that planned activities are
carried out as planned. Deming (1988) perceives TQM as a management philosophy
that strives for excellence in an organisation’s performance. Deming postulated
fourteen TQM principles that organisations such as schools could use to enhance the
provision excellent services.

TQM principles have been used in schools in South Africa. A study conducted by
Sibeko (2014) in uThungulu District of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa found out that
schools that apply the TQM principles continuously improve the quality of education
in schools. Mt Edgecumbe Secondary school in the USA adapted the TQM principles
to continuously improve the quality of education as follows:

Point 1: Human relations are the foundation for all quality improvement.

Point 2: All components in our organisation can be improved.

Point 3: Removing the causes of problems in the system inevitably leads to

improvement.

Point 4: The person doing the job is most knowledgeable about the job.

Point 5: People want to be involved and to do their jobs well.

Point 6: Every person wants to feel like a valued contributor.

Point 7: More can be accomplished by working together to improve the

system than by working individually around the system.

41
 Point 8: A structured problem-solving process using statistical graphic
problem-solving techniques lets you know where you are, where the
variations lie, the relative importance of the problems to be solved
and whether the changes have had the desired impact.

Point 9: Adversarial relationships are counterproductive and outmoded.

Point 10: Every organisation has undiscovered gems waiting to be developed.

Point 11: Removing the barriers to pride of workmanship and joy of learning
unlocks the true untapped potential of the organisation.

Point 12: Ongoing training, learning and experimentation is a priority for

continuous improvement.

The decision to adapt TQM theoretical framework in this study derived from the
impact that TQM has in continuous improvement of educational services in schools.
TQM encourage teachers and school principals to adapt quality management
principles espoused by quality gurus to focus on satisfying the needs and
expectations of learning-outcomes by learners. TQM is a mechanism that enables
school principals and teachers to actively engage in innovative ways to continuously
improve teaching and learning in schools.

2.2.7 Conclusion

In conclusion, quality manifests itself as a multi-dimensional concept that is perceived

differently by education stakeholders. However, despite numerous definitions of the
term ‘quality’, an intriguing and implicit feature, that permeates all the definitions is -
the ‘user’ or ‘customer’ whose needs or expectations ought to be met and satisfied. In
this study, teachers are expected to satisfy the needs and expectations of learners in
schools. TQM principles can be adapted to guide school principals and teachers to
enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools.

42
2.3 EXPOSITION OF A FEW SELECTED QUALITY THEORIES

2.3.1 Introduction

The following sub-section will discuss a few theories that have been proven
internationally to be effective in enhancing quality in both private and public service
sectors. One theory will be selected primarily to guide this particular study in examining
the notion of quality and quality education in general. The question of what entails
quality and quality education as stated in the sub-problem of the envisaged research
is discussed in the light of quality theories. Furthermore, this sub-section will introduce
one effective way of how quality education can be enhanced in schools based on the
quality theories. The chosen theory will thus serve as the basis for the theoretical
framework of this study.

The concept of quality has undergone an evolution over the past years from quality
control, total quality management to quality assurance and enhancement. The early
theories of quality originated from industry and proved successful in different
companies that applied the theories. Today, the notion of quality is embraced not only
by industry but also by the public sector including that of education.

2.3.2 Theories of quality

Three scholars, Edward W. Deming (1988), Philip B. Crosby (1979) and Joseph Juran
(1979), have developed and explored distinct theories of quality from industrial or
business perspectives. The quality sages mentioned-above are regarded as the
pioneers of ‘quality’ because their theories on quality and, more specifically, on Total
Quality Management (TQM), have influenced both industry and non-industry sectors
including the education sector worldwide. Juran and Godfrey define TQM as ‘a
management approach that strives … to continuously realize corporate objectives in
the form of achieving an organization’s mission of satisfying customers (Juran &
Godfrey, 1979. TQM has its origins in the aftermath of World War II when companies
were striving to improve production. In education, TQM can be considered as a
strategic management tool that schools can use to continuously improve and enhance
quality education by satisfying and exceeding the needs and expectations of education
stakeholders.

43
The theories that have been posited by the scholars mentioned above embrace the
fact that quality, though difficult to define, is non-accidental. It is a notion that can be
perceived and planned to maximise investment returns in an enterprise or institution.
This is precisely what Deming (1988), Crosby (1979) and Juran (1979) did in making
the notion of quality manageable. As quality cannot be realised by an act of
coincidence or accident (Botha & Hite, 2000), it is imperative that organisations put in
place strategies that will guarantee quality. The following are different approaches and
theories by the quality sages of how quality can be achieved in an organisation. Each
of them will be briefly discussed.

2.3.2.1 Edward Deming’s TQM theory

W. Edward Deming (1988) is a prolific writer and pioneer of quality theories and
constructs. His approach to quality management derives from statistical methodologies
in which he advocates the use of statistical methods to reduce variability and to
improve production. Deming (1988) proposes an emphasis on precision, performance
and attention to customers’ requirements through statistical methods designed to
reduce variation. Table 2 describes Deming’s fourteen principles that form the main
basis of his TQM theory.

Deming’s theory of quality management advocates for a paradigm shift in

organisations to embrace a quality culture of continuous improvement (Deming, 1994).
In general, businesses are established to maximise production and profits amidst
rivalry competition. Hence, for companies or organisations to remain and sustain their
business activities, it is essential that they continually produce goods and services that
satisfy and exceed customers’ needs and expectations. Deming’s theory was suitable
in this study because it advocates for the use of effective management principles to
improve the quality of educational services in schools. For schools to remain and
sustain their educational activities, it is important that they continually provide
educational services that meet and exceed the teaching and learning needs of
learners. This requires teachers to constantly self-assess their teaching repertoires by
using suitable self-assessment strategies that incorporate Deming’s theory of
continuous improvement.

44
 Table 2: Deming’s fourteen principles of total quality management
(Deming, 1988)
TQM Explanation of the principles
principles
Principle 1 Create constancy of purpose for continual improvement of services.
Principle 2 Adopt the new philosophy and abandon traditional ways of working.
Principle 3 Move from inspection to building quality into every process.
Principle 4 Stop awarding contracts on the basis of the lowest bid – specify and
buy quality.
Principle 5 Engage in the process of continually improving every aspect of
company activity.
Principle 6 Use work-based training techniques.
Principle 7 The emphasis for leaders and managers must be on quality, not
quantity.
Principle 8 Drive out fear by improving communication.
Principle 9 Break down organisation barriers.
Principle 10 Eliminate slogans and exhortations.
Principle 11 Eliminate arbitrary numerical targets.
Principle 12 Allow for pride of workmanship by locating responsibility with the
worker.
Principle 13 Encourage education and self-development.
Principle 14 Create a management structure and culture that will drive the
preceding 13 principles.

The following section briefly analyses Deming’s 14 principles of quality management

in an educational context, which school principals can adapt to enhance quality
education in teaching and learning in schools (Deming, 1988).

(i) Principle 1: Create constancy of purpose to enhance quality education

The principle of ‘constancy of purpose’ (Deming, 1994:51) is crucial in enhancing

quality education in schools. It calls for key education stakeholders: teachers, heads
of departments, school principals and other interested stakeholders to be actively
engaged in the formulation of the mission and vision of the school.
45
It is essential that the mission, goals and vision of the school be formulated in simple
and clear language to avoid ambiguity and misinterpretation by the school community
members. This will also enable each school member including teachers to be
consistently aware of their role in contributing towards the provision of quality
education in schools.

(ii) Principle 2: Adopt a new school philosophy of quality education

Deming’s second principle is ideal for resolving the negative perceptions that the public
and private sectors have with regard to quality education provision in schools. In the
light of repeated concerns of poor quality education by both the public and public
sector, it is imperative that schools listen and take heed of such concerns that
compromise quality education. This requires that schools must re-strategise their goals
and vision towards quality education enhancement in line with stakeholders’
expectations and needs. In Bradleys’ words, ‘schools must begin listening more to
[their stakeholders] who, in the end, will determine the meaning of quality for their
school’ (Bradley 1993:174). School principals need to take heed of teachers’
professional needs to adopt the use of self-assessment strategies to enhance quality
education in schools.

(iii) Principle 3: Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality education

Deming’s third principle calls for the termination of dependence on supervision to

achieve quality education (Deming, 1988). In a school context, supervision by senior
officials such as inspectors of education and school principals can be a cumbersome
and daunting exercise for teachers, as it undermines their professionalism in many
aspects. Teachers as professionals need to be empowered to determine what is best
for their learners and what works best in their classroom settings. For example,
inspecting teachers’ work by checking if lesson plans have been written to a certain
standard; whether teachers have provided adequate class or homework; and if
learners’ work has been meticulously marked with meaningful feedback given. Also if
teaching materials supplement and support teaching and learning processes; etc., can
contribute towards low teacher morale. The process of monitoring teachers through
inspections or supervision alone cannot suffice to improve the quality of education but
from improving teaching and learning processes in schools. Instead of reprimanding
46
teachers who are labelled as ineffective by inspectors of education, schools need to
build quality into the current teaching and learning strategies. School principals need
to provide professional support to teachers who are regarded as non-performers and
not to replace them with teachers from other schools or institutions.

Another fundamental tenet of quality states that it is always cheaper to do things right
the first time (Deming, 1988). Schools, therefore, need to orientate novice teachers to
be innovative and continuously contribute towards quality education in meeting and
exceeding learners’ expectations. Novice teachers are not ‘finished products that
require no further development’ (UNAM, 2013:2) but rather require induction to be able
to cope with the ever-changing dynamics of the classroom and school at large.
Experienced teachers in the system can make use of the self-assessment strategies
to work closely with novice teachers to enhance quality education in schools.

(iv) Principle 4: End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price alone

Industry has succeeded in making society believe that paying more for certain brands
is cost-effective in the long run (cf. par. 2.2.2.5). This perception is also true for school
systems as the choice of human and physical resources must be based on their ability
to meet the needs of users who are the main arbitrators of quality. Schools that depend
on one another on students’ influx or intake by virtue of their physical proximity such
as in school clusters can support one another. For example, junior secondary schools
can enhance quality education of primary schools that prepare learners to enrol at their
schools within a cluster. In a school setting, pre-primary teachers are supposed to be
knowledgeable of the expectations of consequent school phases, e.g. upper primary,
junior secondary and senior secondary requirements. Mt Edgecumbe High School, for
example, reduced school costs by supporting neighbouring schools to improve the
quality of prospective students coming into their school system (Johnson, 1993).

Schools that support one another through the cluster system are likely to excel in
providing quality education. In cases where a school fails to meet the needs of its
students and other stakeholders, neighbouring schools can intervene and support such
a school. However, this principle can only be sustained if schools develop long-term
relationships of loyalty and trust with one another that are based on quality education
initiatives (Deming, 1988).
47
 (v) Principle 5: Improve constantly and forever every activity in the organisation to
improve quality of education

The core function of schools is teaching and learning. The teaching and learning
processes constantly change in education due to changes in the curriculum, for
example. Deming’s fifth principle advocates for individual teachers to become actively
involved in acquiring new skills, techniques and knowledge to effect meaningful
changes in the teaching and learning processes. Jayakumaran and Manoharan
(2011:50) further point out that ‘today it is in our best interest to encourage everyone’s
potential by dedicating ourselves to the continual improvement of our own abilities and
those of the people with whom we work and live’. In many education systems, teachers
are encouraged to pursue professional development programmes that are usually
designed by central agencies comprising of experts or consultants to equip them with
the necessary skills and knowledge to continuously improve the teaching and learning
processes. Bradley (1993:175) advises school principals that, ‘improvement is not a
one-time effort. Everyone and every department must subscribe to the ethic of constant
improvement, and management must lead the way’.

(vi) Principle 6: Institute training on the job

Education is a life-long learning process, which has no satiation point. Teachers need
to be equipped with the necessary expertise to analyse and find solutions through
continuous professional development training activities in order to meet the needs and
expectations of the stakeholders. According to Johnson (1993:29):

Developing this expertise requires an understanding of how the system design

affects the quality of the results, the criteria on which judgements about quality
are made, the statistical tools needed to assess how well the system is
functioning, and the identification of areas for improvement.

In a school setting, competent teachers can be utilised by school principals to support

teachers who lack skills and knowledge in certain subject areas through teamwork.
The use of the self-assessment strategies in schools should aim to address the
immediate professional needs of teachers in real classroom situations to supplement

48
external professional support often administered by external agencies, such as
inspectors of education.

(vii) Principle 7: Institute leadership

Deming’s seventh principle regards school principals as playing a pivotal role in

ensuring that teachers focus on quality enhancement initiatives through their
leadership skills. This can be achieved when the school principals allow effective
teachers to take the lead in instituting the use of self-assessment strategies in schools.
Effective teachers should take on the role of facilitator rather than supervisor to
motivate other teachers to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to improve the
quality education in schools (Deming, 1988).

(viii) Principle 8: Drive out fear

Due to the relatively low socio-economic positions of many employees in an

organisation, employees often perceive the need to support themselves and their
families as the more important priority than work itself. In a school setting, teachers,
for example, can perceive teaching as a means of living rather than a career. Such
teachers easily develop an element of fear by refraining from interrogating
management on certain school processes that can inhibit or contribute towards
enhancing quality at the school. Siu-Runyan and Heart (1992) point out that
professional development cannot take place in an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.
Oduwaiye et al., (2012:144) state that, ‘fear creates an insurmountable barrier to
improvement of any system and should thus be eliminated for organisations to
improve’.

Teachers as educators are expected to do their best in educating learners in line with
national standards. School principals should take advantage of this principle and
extrinsically motivate teachers to ask questions and make suggestions that can
improve the school. ‘Suggestion boxes’ can be introduced in schools as a way to
demonstrate how teachers’ suggestions are valued by school management.
Additionally, teachers should be accorded time to register their needs and concerns
pertaining quality education in schools.

49
 (ix) Principle 9: Break down departmental barriers

Deming’s ninth principle of quality management is the elimination of the barriers

between departments in organisations. The barriers in schools, as organisations, are
both horizontal and vertical. Teachers in various departments tend to think within the
confines of subject disciplines or departments. For example, teachers in the upper
primary phase might prefer to work more closely with teachers at this level than with
those teaching at pre-primary or lower-primary phases, and vice versa. Similarly,
teachers within a certain department who teach a particular subject can develop a
tendency of working more closely with teachers handling the same subject of
specialisation, e.g. English, Math, Science, etc., and not otherwise. If uncontrolled,
such practices can become the main cause for lack of collegiality among teachers.
School principals should encourage teachers to work and seek professional support
across all the departments. Therefore, teachers should not regard themselves as
belonging to isolated working-groups within a school setup but should rather see
themselves as a unit in which teamwork and collaboration is the norm for continuous
improvement of education.

(x) Principle 10: Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets that demand zero
defects and new levels of productivity

Deming’s tenth principle of quality management calls for the elimination of slogans in
organisations which are based on the belief that staff have potential to do better. In
education, such assumptions can create adversarial relationships among teachers by
creating a situation in which they can find themselves competing against each other to
achieve national standards. Teachers who are perceived to be outperforming others in
terms of learning outputs, for example, are often rewarded with salary increments and
medals. This practice, though good, has a negative effect of creating animosity among
others through this external motivation. It is, therefore, necessary that the school
motivation system may need to be changed to be inclusive by acknowledging each
staff member’s contribution to the continual improvement of the school. In short,
adversarial relations need to be discouraged by school principals. Teamwork and
collegiality through self-assessment strategies have great potential of creating an

50
enabling working environment that can boost the teachers’ working morale rather than
having teachers competing against one another.

(xi) Principle 11: Eliminate numerical quotas for the staff and goals for management

Organisations, in designing their strategic management plans, often include goals and
quotas to be achieved. However, such practices of goal setting and quota
determination by management can create a system that focuses on achievements
rather than satisfying customer needs (achieving quality). In education, such practices
include performance appraisal systems that are linked to financial remuneration as a
means to extrinsically motivate teachers to excel in their performances. Deming (1988)
regards these practices as forces of destruction. The practices of goal setting in an
organisation can have adverse effects on staff relationships if not carefully monitored.
Therefore, the researcher agrees with Deming’s perspective of eliminating numerical
quotas for teachers because such educational practices can lead teachers to work in
isolation instead of working in teams. Teachers cannot support one another while
competing against one another. School principals should, therefore, strive to support
teachers to improve and enhance quality education in teaching, learning and
curriculum by encouraging collaboration with one another in accomplishing self-
assessment strategies that call for teamwork.

(xii) Principle 12: Remove barriers that decrease pride in work

Deming’s twelfth principle of quality management focuses on the value that every
member of an institution brings to an organisation. Managers should therefore not
undermine staff members but value their presence and their efforts in contributing to
the improvement of the organisation. In education, school principals need to capacitate
teachers with more authority and trust to enable them to experience job satisfaction for
achieving high levels of performances in their quest to enhance quality education in
schools (Deming, 1988).

51
In support of Deming’s twelfth principle, Bradley (1993:186-187) identifies inherent
biases within schools that school principals need to take heed of for teachers to
experience satisfaction for their efforts of improving school activities, namely:

 An atmosphere of blame: If present, it always inhibits the free flow of

communications.

 The supervisor / subordinate relationship: The fact that the boss asks the
question tends to influence the answer the subordinate gives.

 Conflict in loyalties: Teachers may be wary of communicating information

that might create problems for their colleagues, the union, or someone
else.

In school settings, every member of the community is expected to contribute towards

the continuous improvement of the school. School principals should, therefore, create
an enabling environment that encourages teachers to contribute fully in enhancing
quality education in schools. The school principals should avoid situations that might
cause conflict and mistrust such as blaming teachers, reinforcing the supervisor /
subordinate relationships, and conflict of loyalties as mentioned above.

(xiii) Principle 13: Institute a vigorous programme of education and retraining

Principle 13, just as principle 6, advocates for continuous training of members of an

organisation. In the education sector, life-long learning and continuous professional
development programmes for teachers are examples of how schools can support
teachers in meeting their professional needs. School principals are supposed to be
exemplary in pursuing programmes that aim to contribute towards the continuous
improvement of the school in order to meet and exceed the needs of the customers.
However, school principals are cautioned not to rely heavily on professional
development activities that do not meet the immediate needs of teachers but should
rather focus on those that can be sustainable at the school such as use of the self-
assessment strategies that are teacher-initiated and school-based.

(xiv) Principle 14: Put everyone in the organisation to work to accomplish the
transformation

52
An organisation’s management alone cannot accomplish the successful
transformation of an organisation without the support of all its members. In education,
it is necessary that school principals develop a shared vision of the school’s ambition
of continuous improvement of which all staff members acquaint themselves. It is only
then that a school can improve the quality of education in schools.

Deming’s fourteen principles of quality management are the backbone of total quality
management (TQM) which has made industrial companies meet and exceed the needs
of the customers. The principles, despite being industry oriented, can be adapted by
the service sectors such as in educational institutions including schools to improve
teaching and learning continuously, thereby enhancing quality education in schools.

Deming’s principles give clear guidelines of how school principals can improve their
schools with little or no external intervention by education experts such as inspectors
of education. The applicability of Deming’s theory with this particular study cannot be
over-emphasised. It serves as the underlying philosophy for this particular study to
help school principals improve the quality of education in schools.

The applicability of Deming’s theory to this study is astounding despite being industry-
driven. The principles outlined above can easily be adapted by educational
organisations to enhance quality education in schools. Deming’s theory can be used
as a basis for schools that embed quality as a culture. For quality to be realised in an
organisation, it necessitates that such an organisation puts in place mechanisms to
constantly assess and review its operations. The Deming principles if well adapted can
serve as basic guidelines for schools to continuously review their operations in order
to provide quality education. Therefore, it is essential that schools contextualise the
principles relevant to their needs. In this particular study, the principles will guide the
researcher to explore self-assessment strategies of how quality education can be
enhanced with special reference to schools in the Zambezi region.

The following are other quality gurus who have contributed to the advancement of
quality in both private and public sectors worldwide.

53
2.3.2.2 Philip B. Crosby’s theory

Crosby’s quality theory states that the centrality of increased profitability is through
quality improvements based on four fundamentals of quality management: quality,
system, standard and measurement (Crosby, 1979). His quality view was based on
the four absolutes of quality management:

 Quality means conformance to requirements. Requirements need to be

clearly specified so that everyone knows what is expected of them.

 Quality comes from prevention. And prevention is a result of training,

discipline, example, leadership, and more.

 Quality performance standard is zero defects. Errors should be corrected.

 Quality measurement is the price of non-conformance (Crosby, in Rao et

al. 1996:43).

This means that the system used by any business entity should aim to prevent, rather
than to detect faults if the standard of zero defects is to be realised. In education, the
principle of zero-defects as a performance standard is difficult to comprehend. This is
so because education deals with rational beings who are different and unique from one
another, unlike in industry which deals with goods that can be designed to specific
requirements. As in industry, non-conformance to customer requirements and needs
can negatively affect schools that do not conform to customers’ expectations. For
schools to be competitive, they must continuously improve their service delivery by
focusing and implementing processes and strategies that contribute to mitigating the
needs of customers.

Crosby’s theory applies to this study as it advocates for senior management of

organisations to increase productivity through quality improvement mechanisms. In
this study, Crosby’s theory is applicable because it calls for school principals to be
vigilant in ensuring that teachers comply with regulatory requirements of education
which is to offer quality education in teaching and learning. Quality education can be
realised if school principals strictly monitor the education systems. In this study, school
54
principals are thus expected to motivate teachers to conform to practices that can
enhance quality education. Practices that fail to contribute towards quality education
should be identified, and corrective measures be taken to ensure that quality education
is not compromised. The fact that the Zambezi region is performing poorly in
comparison to other educational regions countrywide (cf. par. 1.2), it is necessary that
school principals be equipped with the necessary quality management strategies that
can help the schools identify areas that need improvement.

2.3.2.3 Joseph M. Juran’s theory (1979)

The third pioneer of quality theories and constructs is Joseph M. Juran. He is generally
renowned for his definition of quality as ‘fitness for use’. He perceives the principal
outcome of quality management as based on cost reduction and increasing
conformance to customer requirements and expectations. For Juran, two aspects of
management, namely, leadership and teamwork, are key strategies to quality
realisation in an organisation.

Juran’s 85/15 rule maintains that a minute fraction of 15 per cent can be linked to
workers’ efficacy, while a bigger fraction of 85 per cent can be attributed to
management inefficiency. Juran’s theory emphasises that quality is ‘fitness for use and
the potential to eliminate mistakes and errors lies mostly in improving the systems
through which work is done, not in changing the workers’ (Juran and Godfrey,
1979:181). In an educational context, school principals are expected to efficiently and
effectively manage day-to-day activities of schools. School principals should thus
refrain from blaming teachers for what goes wrong at their schools but should rather
take full responsibility for what is going on at the school.

Juran’s theory of quality is applicable and relevant to this particular study as it

specifically focuses on the aspect of ‘fitness for use’ of schools. The theory enables
school principals to critically assess the main aim of their school establishments in
relation to the intended purposes. In this study, school principals are thus expected to
capacitate staff to work in teams to jointly identify the strengths and weaknesses of the
school. In concerted efforts, staff can sustain the strengths of the school system while
improving the weaknesses of the school system. Instead of school principals blaming
teachers for the poor performance of their schools as compared to other schools in
55
other regions, they can use this theory to help teachers to critically evaluate their
professional services within a school with help from the school principals. For example,
teachers can be encouraged and supported by school principals to use self-
assessment strategies to improve the quality of education in schools. By using this
theory in schools, school principals can be discouraged from accusing teachers of the
poor provision of quality but rather to support teachers acquire skills and competencies
that are based on their professional and departmental needs.

2.3.3 Other notable quality scholars

The three ‘quality sages’, namely, Crosby (1979), Deming (1988) and Juran (1979),
despite having significant differences in their approaches to quality constructs, are the
co-founders of the current total quality management theory. However, apart from the
three scholars mentioned above, some more prominent scholars are renowned for
advancing the concept of quality over the past years. The following are brief
contributions to the quality discourse.

2.3.3.1 David Garvin

Garvin (1988) has developed a number of contributions that have greatly influenced
quality management theory. Garvin introduced the notion of the five quality bases –
transcendent, product, user, manufacturing and value to help clarify and define quality,
(cf. par. 2.2.2.). He further developed what has become known as the eight dimensions
of quality: performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability,
aesthetics and perceived quality (Garvin, 1988). These dimensions are indicative
signals of how complex the concept of quality is. The multi-dimensional approach to
quality is embraced by many educational institutions, including tertiary institutions such
as universities that define quality from the perspectives and expectations of different
stakeholders (e.g. students, parents/guardians, universities, colleges, employers,
government, non-governmental organisations, etc.).

In this research, Garvin’s theory is important for schools as it acknowledges that quality
is a transcendental concept, which is liable to different interpretations. By virtue of
schools trying to satisfy the different needs of different stakeholders, requires that all

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interested stakeholders pronounce their different forms of quality, which the schools
are expected to meet.

2.3.3.2 Kairo Ishikawa (1985)

Ishikawa translated, integrated and expanded the principles of total quality

management into the Japanese system through statistical quality control. He adopted
a people-oriented, rather than a statistically-oriented approach to quality management.
He advocated for everyone’s involvement in quality management and problem-solving.
He further maintained that organisations should regard customers’ grievances as an
opportunity for quality readjustment and development. Ishikawa (1985) thus
encourages organisations to take into cognisance their customers’ complaints to
ensure that the products or services satisfy and delight the needs of customers. This
principle is relevant and applicable to the education sector, as schools are expected to
meet the needs of their stakeholders, thereby, enhancing quality education in schools.

2.3.3.3 Armand Vallin Feigenbaum (1991)

Feigenbaum (1991) perceives quality as an integrated system of an institution that

focus on three aspects, namely, quality development, maintenance and improvement
initiatives. The three aspects used to ensure efficiency of an organisation at minimal
economic levels while satisfying the needs and expectations of customers.

Thus, all teaching and non-teaching staff in a school setting have a pivotal role to
ensure that quality is achieved by contributing towards satisfying clients’ needs and
expectations. In schools, teachers should not be undermined due to their performance
as they all have important roles to play in ensuring that schools continuously improve
the quality of educational services. In this study, this approach is significant because it
encourages teachers to respect and work together in using the self-assessment
strategies for continuous improvement of quality education in schools.

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2.3.3.4 Muijs and Reynolds (2011)

The most recent theoretical quality paradigm gaining global momentum in teacher
practicum is ‘teacher effectiveness research’ (Muijs & Reynolds, 2011). The
proponents of teacher effectiveness research, such as Muijs and Reynolds (2011),
have shifted their focus from traditional perspectives of quality, which are based on the
‘process-product’ paradigm.

A conclusion by McKinsey (2007:44) in Finland that ‘the quality of an education system

cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and that the only way to improve outcomes is
to improve instruction’ has brought about a paradigm shift in education. This paradigm
has shifted the focus of policymakers and education specialists from schools to
teachers. For some time, education policymakers strongly believed that the school was
the main agent for change and improvement and not the teacher. However, this belief
has been disputed by researchers in Finland and Singapore. These researchers view
teaching and curriculum as central to quality education and enhancement.

The researcher regards the teacher-effectiveness perspective as essential for

continuous professional development of teachers. In schools, un-qualified, under-
qualified and novice teachers usually do not possess the necessary pedagogical skills
and subject knowledge to meet the required national teaching standards. It is
incumbent that school principals use the self-assessment strategies for teachers to
support one another in their professional development. The school principals can
incorporate TQM principles to ensure the successful implementation of CPDs in
schools. This developmental trend has an added-value advantage to the teaching
profession as teachers develop into reflective researchers in their own classrooms by
providing quality education in schools.

This theorem has a direct effect on teachers who were engaged in this study. The
theory empowers teachers to be responsible for their own professional development
through collegiality. It enables teachers to be self-initiative and pro-active in developing
ways to develop their skills and competencies further in a concerted effort in school
settings without necessarily resorting to outside support from national or regional
education offices. Teachers, who regularly work in teams and reflect on their practicum,
have great potential to contribute immensely to the continuous improvement of the
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school's operations. The benefits that teachers gain from supporting one another in a
collaborative environment can have a major impact on changing the daily operations
of schools by having in-depth understandings of the environmental factors that
enhance or inhibit quality education in schools.

2.4 SUMMARY

This sub-section presented quality theories that have formed a basis for continuous
improvement in production and service delivery. Though the quality theories seem to
be far-fetched from one another, all of them are interlinked as they all strive to
contribute towards quality improvement. From all the quality views presented above,
the researcher chose Deming’s theory as being the most suitable for this particular
study. The reasons for selecting Deming’s theory are as follows:

2.4.1 Holistic approach

Deming’s theory is relevant not only to the manufacturing industries but also to the
service providers such as educational institutions like combined schools. The theory
aims to involve every member of the organisation to play an active role in achieving
the vision and goals of the organisation. In an education context, the theory
encourages school principals to utilise and harmonise all the human resources that are
at their disposal to achieve the school vision, mission and objectives. The theory further
gives guidance to optimise the use of physical resources systematically and coherently
through teamwork. However, it should be noted that the theory, though it seeks
improvement through a whole-school improvement programme, it can also be applied
by individual departments or sections within an organisation such as a school.

In this study, teachers in particular departments are encouraged to form work groups
according to their fields of specialisation, e.g. Upper Primary Mathematics, English
Language, Social Sciences, etc. With the support of school principals, the work groups
can work in teams to improve the quality of education. The respective departments can
identify areas that can be sustained and those that can be improved upon. By
conducting self-assessment strategies, teachers have the potential to improve the
quality of education provision at departmental level.

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 2.4.2 Adaptability of principles

Deming’s principles although simple and self-explanatory should not be followed

slavishly by schools. As mentioned above, Deming’s theory originated from industry
as a mechanism to increase productivity. It is, therefore, essential that service
providers such as schools should adapt the theory to suit the context in which it is
being applied.

The principles can easily be adapted by schools, for example, school principals can
convene staff meetings to explain their vision and mission statements pertaining to the
future of the school. By involving the school’s key stakeholders (teachers) in the
process of formulating vision and mission statements, empowers teachers to take
ownership of the school vision and mission statements. In this particular study, school
principals were encouraged to help teachers form work groups to improve the quality
of education in schools.

2.4.3 Feasibility of principles

The Deming’s theory presents simple and logical principles that can be adapted by
schools to improve quality education. The principles provide guidelines on how quality
education can be enhanced in schools. In total, there are fourteen principles that can
be followed by schools to improve the quality of education continuously. If well planned,
all the fourteen principles can be adapted for use by school principals.

The quality theories espoused by other sages supplement Deming’s theory in many
different ways. For example, Juran’s quality theory of ‘fitness of use’ supplements
Deming’s first principle of ‘creating constancy of purpose’ in a school in which school
principals harness physical and human resources to achieve the school’s vision and
mission.

Cosby’s principle of zero defects emphasises Deming’s fifth principle of continually

improving every aspect of a school’s activity. By constantly reviewing the school’s
activities, school principals in collaboration with teachers can identify areas that
contribute towards the poor performance of the school and take necessary measures
to rectify or eliminate inhibiting factors. Juran (1979), on the other hand, cautions

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school principals to desist from changing teachers due to poor performance but insists
on taking corrective measures to improve school management systems.

Ishikawa’s advocacy for a shift of mindset from a statistical-oriented to a people-

oriented approach to quality management espouses Deming’s ninth principle of driving
out fear in order to create constructive dialogue with stakeholders. Ishikawa's theory
encourages school principals to take into account teachers’ complaints in order to
satisfy their professional needs. Feigenbaum’s quality theory of acknowledging groups’
efforts in an economical way that allows customer satisfaction supports Deming’s third
principle of building quality into every process of the school system to satisfy the needs
of teachers. Lastly, the quality theory by Muijs and Reynolds (2011) which advocates
for continuous professional development of teachers is congruent with Deming’s 13th
principle which urges school principals to encourage teachers to continuously pursue
further education and professional self-development.

In summary, Deming’s quality theory can be regarded as the main basis for other
quality theories as propagated by renowned quality gurus stated above. In fact, the
other quality theories focus and expound on one or more principles enshrined in
Deming’s quality theory, which is comprehensive and elaborate for schools to follow
and implement.

2.5 CONCLUSION

The early quality sages mentioned above, including W. Edwards Deming’s fourteen
principles, have contributed immensely to contemporary quality tenets that are
currently at work in private and public sectors worldwide. The notion of total quality
management though originating from an industry perspective has proved to be an
effective strategy for continuously improving and sustaining organisations’ production
and service delivery in many successful organisations.

The education sector has borrowed the notion of total quality management from
industry to bring about quality in the provision of educational services. Despite the fact
that TQM is largely based on the production of goods, school principals can adapt
some of the quality features to enhance quality education in their respective schools.
This can be done by focusing on new trends of teacher effectiveness that are crucial

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for quality enhancement. As was stated earlier on, no educational system can surpass
the quality of its implementers, namely, teachers. Hence, teachers with the support of
school principals can contribute immensely to the provision of quality education by
schools.

The researcher posits that the introduction of self-assessment strategies can be

integrated into continuous professional development programmes to enhance quality
education in schools. Teachers as education practitioners are responsible for their own
personal and professional development. They need to determine their professional
needs if they are to be effective in their service delivery. The traditional cascade models
of teacher professional development can be supplemented by professional
development activities that aim to address the immediate needs of teachers in teaching
environments, rather than generic workshops that are tailor-made to fit all the needs
of teachers. Hence, self-assessment strategies have the potential to develop teachers’
skills and knowledge. For self-assessment to be effective, it is necessary that schools
adapt the TQM principles to achieve quality education in schools. The next chapter will
address the research objectives of investigating how self-assessment strategies are
linked to quality and quality education in general.

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 CHAPTER 3: SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND QUALITY
EDUCATION

3.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter three outlines the link between self-assessment strategies and quality
education in general (cf. par. 1.4 and 1.11.3). The chapter, based on a literature study,
also presents an exposition of self-assessment and various self-assessment strategies
that are linked to quality and quality education in general (cf. par. 1.5). Additionally,
the chapter presents general and specific advantages, disadvantages and quality
cycles for self-assessment processes. Furthermore, the chapter presents the notions
of self-assessment and quality education from a Namibian perspective. Finally, it
examines the context in which self-assessment is conducted to enhance quality
education in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

3.2 EXPOSITION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT

3.2.1 Introduction

Organisations are established to achieve goals and visions often outlined in strategic
management plans. The goals and objectives of an organisation’s strategic plan are
usually measured using internal or external mechanisms of assessment. Despite the
fact that both external and internal evaluation and monitoring processes are valid,
organisations are expected to be innovative in designing internal quality assurance
mechanisms to determine whether goals are met before receiving input from external
agencies (Smylie, 2014). The internal processes of monitoring and evaluation of an
organisation by its staff are regarded in this research as ‘self-assessment’. Adams,
Strong, Mattick, MacManus, Matthews, & Foster, (2008) point out that the scope of
self-assessment may range from the whole-of-institution to individual departmental
units depending on the organisation or department undertaking self-assessment.
Kadhila (2012) asserts that there is no one formal pattern of self-assessment
processes. Self-assessment can take different forms according to the frequency and
depth of the self-assessment process being undertaken by an institution or a
department within an organisation. This process enables staff in an organisation to

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interrogate and determine what they are currently doing, why they are doing it, and
how they can improve on what they are doing.

3.2.2 Definitions of self-assessment

In this study, ‘self-review’, ‘self-evaluation’, and ‘self-reflection’ processes, though

different in ideological underpinnings, will be regarded as ‘self-assessment’ as they all
have one common feature of the centrality of the ‘self’ improvement. All these
processes focus on the individual or professional in critically reviewing one’s own
performance and provision in an organisation (Adams et al., 2008).

Watson & Maddison (2005:6) define self-assessment in an educational context as the:

Collective reflective practice carried out by [an] education institution with the
intention of understanding better and improving its own progress towards its
objectives, enhancing its institutional effectiveness, and both responding to and
influencing positively the context in which it is operating … it is directly
undertaken to influence action.

Watson and Maddison (2005) regard self-assessment as an instrument that an

educational institution can use to bring about meaningful change through concerted
effort. It is different from external assessment which is criticised for not giving teachers
the time, activities and the content to improve their own knowledge and skills (Birman,
Desimone, Porter, & Garet, 2000). Therefore, there is a need for schools to devise
school-based teacher professional initiatives such as the self-assessment strategies
that seek to address teachers’ personal and professional needs (Lee, 2005).

Powell (2000:42) defines self-assessment as ‘an internal evaluation of an organisation

by its members’. Powell’s definition is based on the premises that organisations
produce results by harnessing and releasing the talents of its workforce. In a school
setting, school principals can encourage teachers to be innovative in exploring viable
and sustainable self-assessment strategies to improve the quality of education in
schools.

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Powell (2000:41) gives three ‘grammars’ (S1, S2, and S3) of internal evaluation: ‘self-
review’, ‘self-evaluation’ and ‘self-assessment’ to illustrate the differences between the
processes (See Figure 3). Powell (2000) states that the first grammar (S1) of internal
evaluation is that of self-review processes which focus on controlling day-to-day
routines and outcomes of an organisation. Staff in an organisation are regarded as the
main source of information provision with regard to evaluation processes. This type of
internal evaluation process is summative but not developmental because it focuses on
the traditional method of product control. The second grammar (S2) of internal
evaluation is self-evaluation.

Continuum of internal evaluation

Outcomes Processes
S1 S2 S3
Self-review Self-evaluation Self-assessment
Controlling Improving Creative
Retrospective Incremental Dynamic change
Mechanistic Participative Holistic
Summative Limited feedback Formative
Teacher as a resource Little individual ownership Teachers role is
strategic
Not developmental Improvement Improvement
Outcomes Mainly outcomes-led Process led
Routine Power still centralised Collegial
Multiple stakeholders
Organisation Individual

Figure 3: Powell’s three ‘grammars’ of internal evaluation (Powell, 2000:40)

This is mainly an outcomes-led process that aims to improve an organisation’s

performance with little individual ownership. It also aims to improve an organisation’s
performance through a participatory process incrementally. The last grammar (S3) of
internal evaluation is self-assessment which is formative and process-led. It aims to
encourage collegiality among an organisation’s workforce through a dynamic and
holistic manner of self-critiquing existing processes of an organisation. In schools,

65
teachers are encouraged to be creative and innovative in promoting continuous
improvement of quality education.

USAID (2006:1) define self-assessment as ‘a system that provides tools for teachers
to reflect on their classroom practice and participate in their own professional
development’. In school settings, teachers can form groups that work together to
improve performances against the schools’ goals and visions.

In this study, self-assessment is regarded as an integral and on-going internal

mechanism of evaluating and monitoring teachers’ performances in enhancing quality
education in schools. Teachers are expected to use self-assessment strategies as an
effective mechanism of continuous professional development. The researcher posits
self-assessment as a suitable and relevant internal evaluation process for this
particular study as it seeks to encourage teachers to work in a concerted effort towards
the continuous improvement of quality education.

3.2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of self-assessment

Self-assessment processes can be incorporated into the education sector to support

continuous professional development activities for teachers, which, in turn, can
contribute towards quality education and enhancement in teaching and learning in
schools. If well planned, self-assessment processes can benefit the educational
system, those that are practising and implementing it, and learners who are the primary
beneficiaries of quality education. USAID (2006:5) identified the following advantages
and disadvantages of using self-assessment in schools:

Advantages:

 The system simultaneously helps develop leadership at local levels among

teachers and their school [principals].

 It brings professional development activities to the school level rather than

taking teachers away from class to attend large cascade seminars and

workshops that are often not directly related to the immediate needs of

their own classroom situation.

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  It provides an opportunity for collaborative problem-solving.

 Participating teachers gain a powerful voice in terms of the character and

quality of the professional development.

 Reflecting on learner-centricity and how to implement it in their classrooms

is by its very nature enhancing and internalising their understanding of

those concepts.

 Teachers become more articulate, adept and analytical about their own
teaching practice.

 Teachers’ professional development needs are determined.

Disadvantages:

 Implementing self-assessment mechanisms is labour intensive and

demands the commitment and cooperation of a cadre of already

overstretched teacher support providers.

 It requires teachers to participate in professional development activities

outside of class time.

 It requires record keeping.

 It requires teachers to collect, analyse and synthesise data [from learners].

However, specific advantages and disadvantages of self-assessment depend largely

on the mode or strategy that a school chooses to use. Adams et al. (2008) affirm that
schools that identify suitable and appropriate self-assessment strategies which
address the immediate needs of learners have potential to enhance quality education
through collaboration and teamwork among teachers.

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 3.2.4 Self-assessment and the quality cycles

Staff engaged in self-assessment processes can find quality cycles useful in

developing and managing quality education in teaching and learning at classroom
levels. Figure 4 illustrates one of Deming’s most popular quality improvement
techniques that organisations use to generate improvements. Deming (1994:132)
states that the Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle is ‘a flow diagram for learning and
for improvement of … a process’.

PDSA Model (Taylor et al., 2013)

Figure 4: The model for improvement

Taylor et al. (2013) state that the four stage quality cycle mirror the scientific
experiment method of formulating a hypothesis, collecting data to test the hypothesis,
analysing and interpreting the results and making inferences to iterate the hypothesis.
The PDSA model can be an effective quality improvement mechanism in schools.
According to Taylor et al. (2013:1) ‘delivering improvements … requires the alteration
of processes within complex social systems that change over time in predictable and
unpredictable ways’. Schools as social institutions are subject to change over time. For
an example, changes in ministerial policies often require curriculum reviews that
schools ought to implement. Therefore, schools require multifaceted improvement
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interventions such as the PDSA cycle that can be adapted to redress changes that are
affecting the schools. Within schools, teachers can form quality circles to implement
continuous improvement initiatives (Juran, 1979). Hutchins (2008:188) defines a
quality circle as:

A small group of between three and 12 people who do the same or similar work,
voluntarily meeting together regularly for about an hour per week in paid time,
usually under the leadership of their own supervisor, and trained to identify,
analyse and solve some of the problems in their workplace, presenting solutions
to management, and where possible, implementing the solutions themselves.

Teachers can use the guiding questions above the Deming cycle (See Figure 4) during
the self-assessment processes. In the ‘Plan’ stage, teachers clearly state their
personal and professional development goals that aim to meet and satisfy
stakeholders’ needs and expectations. Teachers should identify and clearly indicate
how the intervention is going to be conducted. The questions: ‘Who? What? Where?
When?’ need to be spelt out clearly during this stage. In the ‘Do’ stage, the desired
changes are put into practice. Thus, teachers implement the designed plan as outlined
in stage 1 and document any observable effects of their interventions. In the ‘Study’
stage, teachers collect and analyse data to extract common trends and practices that
enhance or hinder improvement initiatives. In the ‘Act’ stage, teachers identify and
prioritise the changes that need to be addressed to enhance quality education. The
next steps to guide the next cycle are carried out during this stage.

Deming’s PDSA cycle is recognised as a sound method for checking quality assurance
because it considers and evaluates the conditions and methods currently in place. The
objective is to ensure that quality is inculcated and integrated into every step of the
process (Svensson, 2004). Schools can enhance quality education by adapting the
PDSA cycle as an effective strategy for change. This requires that teachers and school
principals respond to the following key questions:

 What is it that we do? – (i.e. the areas).

 How do we do it? – (i.e. the methods).

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  What support do we provide to the institution to ensure our understanding
of our … support systems?
 How do we know that we are doing well? – (i.e. monitoring and evaluation
tools).
 How do we ensure improvement? – (i.e. reports and improvement plans).

The PDSA cycle is a useful tool for continuous improvement in schools. It allows
teachers to reflect on broad questions such as: What are the school’s mission
statement, vision, goals and objectives? How were they formulated? How well
disseminated are they? How does the school plan to achieve its objectives? Is the staff
adequately trained to implement the desired goals? Are the desired changes
sustainable? Teachers involved in ‘quality circles’ need to critically examine some of
these questions for continuous quality education improvement in schools. Teachers’
needs and expectations need to be permeated in every step of the PDSA cycle.
Hutchins (2008:108) urges school principals to focus on the perception of customers
who in this case are the learners as follows:

It is the customers’ [learners’] perception of our performance which is important

not our actual performance. If the customer perceives that we are poor when
we are good there is no point in making improvements. We need to change the
perception!

School principals and teachers involved in the self-assessment processes need to take
into account learners’ needs and expectations. The school principals and teachers can
devise tools such as questionnaires and suggestion boxes to help find out what
learners expect from the schools. Once learners’ needs are identified, an analysis of
these should be conducted and prioritised for redress during every step of the PDSA
cycle. Once a full-cycle of self-assessment is completed, schools can analyse the
results and prioritise intervention strategies to mitigate identified shortfalls that hinder
quality education in teaching and learning, as well as identify strong areas that the
schools need to uphold and sustain in the consecutive improvement cycles as
illustrated in Figure 4. In this study, schools are expected to assess the ‘quality’ of
teachers in teaching and learning against quality assurance mechanisms such as the
national performance standards for teachers in Namibia (Ministry of Education, Arts

70
and Culture, 2006); Deming Prize Awards (Deming Prize Committee, 2015); Malcolm
Baldridge National Quality Award (2005) to determine customer satisfaction levels.

3.2.5 Summary

In this section, the researcher gave an exposition of what self-assessment entails in

education. To avoid ambiguity, the terms ‘self-evaluation’, ‘self-reflection’ and ‘self-
review’ are regarded as being synonymous in this study because all the three notions
emphasise the centrality of the ‘self’. Teachers are regarded as playing a pivotal role
in contributing towards quality education in schools. However, enhancement of quality
education in schools cannot be an act of accidence. Teachers should carefully plan
and strategise how quality education in teaching and learning can be enhanced in
schools. The researcher posits that the Deming’s PDSA cycle, despite being business
oriented, can be used to guide teachers to continuously improve the quality of
education by asking pertinent questions in teaching, learning and curriculum such as:
Where am I? What do I want to do? How am I going to do it? How will I know that
improvement has occurred? By engaging in self-assessment practices, teachers can
gradually and consistently satisfy the needs and expectations of learners in schools.

3.3 EXPOSITION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

3.3.1 Introduction

There exist several self-assessment strategies that school principals and teachers can
adapt for use in schools to supplement the current use of TSE strategy which uses
lower order thinking skills for teachers to self-assess and critique their teaching and
learning styles. However, in this study, seven self-assessment strategies are
discussed: surveys, guided assessment workshops, questionnaires, reflective
journals, matrix, award simulation, and self-reviews. (Adams et al., 2008; Solms, 2006;
UNAM, 2014; UNAM, 2015). Teachers and school principals can decide on the most
suitable self-assessment mode which best fits their personal and professional needs
to enhance quality education in schools. In practice, teachers’ needs determine
suitable self-assessment strategies that can be employed to improve the quality of
education in schools. The seven self-assessment strategies mentioned above have
proved to be effective in organisations that engage in self-assessment activities. The

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self-assessment strategies are not prescriptive per se but rather outline general
guidelines of what self-assessment processes entail.

3.3.2 Survey mode

The survey mode of self-assessment can be in different forms including but not limited
to the following: telephones, cellular phones and mails using social media (e.g.
Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Twitter); online surveys (e.g. ZohoSurvey,
SmartSurvey, FluidSurvey and SurveyMonkey); and questionnaires that can be
dispatched to teachers and school principals to complete. Surveys are cost effective
and less strenuous to administer in a school setting. Adams et al. (2008:6) state that,
‘surveys can provide quantitative and qualitative data that is readily analysable and
can be tabulated to reflect currency of opinions’. Schools that conduct survey modes
of self-assessment have an advantage of achieving high response rates. School
principals can continuously remind teachers to complete the surveys until an
acceptable response rate is achieved. However, some disadvantages of survey modes
of assessment include ‘possible evasive answers, central tendencies in scoring, and
difficulties in interpretation of responses’ (Adams et al., 2008:6).

3.3.3 Guided self-assessment workshop mode

The guided self-assessment workshop mode is normally spearheaded by the head of

the school, namely the school principal. The school principal is expected to collaborate
with teachers in analysing gathered data to determine the strengths and weaknesses
of the teachers conducting self-assessment. A departmental head of the unit
conducting self-assessment can facilitate the envisaged workshops. Adams et al.
(2008:7) point out that the ‘success depends ultimately on the skills of the facilitator(s)
[school principals] to ensure that there is active listening, objectivity in judgements and
a range of viewpoints sought’.

The guided self-assessment workshop mode, though it usually entails drawing

teachers from out of their classrooms, can be conducted at school level. However, it
requires commitment from school principals as it comes with a series of logistical
issues, such as gathering, collating, analysing and synthesising data. Teachers and

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school principals are expected to identify and prioritise their professional needs
emanating from the self-assessment processes.

However, this approach of enhancing quality education in schools requires that

teachers wait for relatively long periods of time to get professional support from the
educational experts and external evaluators who often are very few and have limited
resources to support schools regularly. Furthermore, the guided self-assessment
workshop mode tends to address the general rather than specific, day-to-day
professional needs of teachers.

3.3.4 Questionnaire mode

The questionnaire mode is another self-assessment strategy that school principals can
use in schools. The self-assessment mode aims to solicit information from teachers
involved in conducting self-assessment. The questionnaires are designed to gather
teachers’ perceptions of teaching and learning processes. They can comprise of
Yes/No response answers with space to justify their responses. Furthermore, the
questionnaires can probe teachers to critically reflect on their teaching experience to
identify the root causes of their problems that need to be addressed with the aid of, for
example, school principals and fellow teachers within the school. The questionnaires
can be simple but thought-provoking for teachers. The results of questionnaires should
be easy to compute into numerical outcomes that aim to address the identified needs
of teachers. However, the accuracy, reliability and validity of the responses gathered
from the questionnaire mode of self-assessment are dependant on how honest the
respondents are to questions asked (Solms, 2006).

3.3.5 Reflection journal mode

The reflection journal mode of self-assessment is another viable self-assessment

strategy for schools. In the Zambezi region, teachers are normally urged by school
principals to use and keep reflection journals of their lesson presentations at the end
of each lesson. By reflecting on the lesson presentations, teachers can write-up
narratives of what they think about the lessons in terms of strengths and weaknesses.
Reflection journals of self-assessment afford teachers to immediately identify strengths
that need to be sustained and areas for improvement, which can be addressed during

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continuous professional development workshops. Reflections can serve as good,
valuable and genuine sources of data on what areas the teachers might need to
improve upon and to sustain positive areas of their teaching and learning processes
(UNAM, 2014). However, the teacher self-reflection journal mode has some limitations
particularly when teachers identify areas that might need improvement but are
compelled to wait for such needs to be addressed during workshops that might not
address the identified needs.

Furthermore, teacher self-reflection journals require school principals to

conscientiously read and study the self-reflection journals of every teacher in the
school and provide the necessary support. However, in practice, school principals are
required to monitor teachers’ preparations and not necessarily their reflection journals.
Some school principals can consider teacher-self-reflection journals as another
managerial burden which consequently can discourage them from providing
meaningful feedback to teachers in need of help. In general, teacher self-reflective
journals if properly conducted can help teachers identify strengths and challenges they
encounter while enhancing quality education in schools. This practice allows teachers
to prioritise their professional needs based on their reflections rather than needs that
are imposed on them by external experts, such as national and regional education
officers.

3.3.6 Matrix mode

The matrix mode is another self-assessment strategy that schools can employ to
enhance quality education. A matrix can be a tool where teachers indicate areas that
need redress at school level according to their professional needs. Juran and Godfrey
(1978) provide different quality management tools, for an example, a Cause-effect
(“Fishbone”) diagram which is tool that can help schools organise and identify the root
cause of a problem; and, flow diagrams which are graphic representations of
sequential phases aimed to attain predetermined goals and objectives of schools. The
latter tool was adapted to guide teachers to conduct self-assessment processes to
enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools in the Zambezi region
(cf. par. 6.7.1).

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In a normal situation, schools can adapt existing matrix diagrams to meet the schools’
visions and goals. The ratings obtained from the matrix charts can be statistically
analysed to determine common problematic trends and themes that need redress
during continuous professional development activities.

The method is less resource intensive and time-consuming especially if a school

decides to use existing and well-known matrix charts to identify teachers’ professional
needs. Hutchins (2008:43) state that the Selection Matrix, for example, can enable
school principals and teachers to identify ‘key performance indicators (KPIs) which are
relatively easy to tackle, do not require huge resources and which will make a
difference when solved’. Hutchins (2008:43), however, cautions that school principals
and teachers should not be discouraged ‘by the fact that there are literally hundreds of
issues and that it will take a huge amount of effort to deal with them’. Therefore, the
matrix mode of self-assessment requires active involvement of school principals and
teachers to discuss and reach consensus on issues enhancing quality education in
schools.

3.3.7 Award simulation mode

The award simulation mode of self-assessment is one feasible strategy that schools
can explore to enhance quality education. In departments, teachers can take the
initiative to carefully choose and use an award simulation mode of self-assessment:
Deming Prize Awards (Deming Prize Committee, 2015); Malcolm Baldridge National
Quality Award, (2005); European Quality Award (Tang & Tummala, 1996). An internal
process similar to that of the chosen award organisation can be simulated by schools.
This process systematically guides teachers to reflect on the prevailing quality
education culture by capturing valuable knowledge in specific domains of quality
enhancement in schools. The gathered information can be used to identify and
prioritise areas that schools can improve upon. The main advantage of the simulation
award mode of self-assessment is ‘the fact that it provides a learning opportunity for
organisations that are intending to apply for Excellence Awards, Prizes, and
Certificates’ (Solms, 2006:59).

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However, the award simulation self-assessment mode demands that the school
principal should identify competent teachers who can be tasked to collect and
document gathered information that should culminate in a comprehensive summative
self-assessment report. The summative report should outline good practices that need
to be sustained and possible solutions for practices that are wanting. Finally, the school
principal can then adopt the award simulation report for implementation and regular
monitoring purposes.

3.3.8 Departmental self-review mode

Lastly, the self-review mode of self-assessment can also be employed by departments

in schools to improve quality education continuously. In this mode, teachers from
specific departmental phases, for instance, upper primary math or pre-primary or junior
secondary social sciences are afforded time to self-assess their specific departmental
needs using a SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats. In departmental groups, teachers discuss and agree on best practices and
trends that the department needs to sustain, and also, identify areas that need
improvement for quality education enhancement.

The self-review mode serves as a reliable means through which the department under
review conveys information about itself. It is also a starting point for critical reflection
by the department in the manner in which it is managed and how it handles the quality
of its activities and operations. It is an evidence-based reflection of what the division
believes to be working well and what seems not to be working well. Since the goal of
departmental self-reviews is to promote on-going quality and strategic development,
being honest, self-reflective, self-analytic and self-critical is the best way to identify
areas that need sustaining and improvement (UNAM, 2015). This mode of self-
assessment has an added advantage in that it fosters collaboration among teachers
while at the same time, it generates a consensus-based report that school principals
can use to enhance quality education in schools.

The self-review mode of self-assessment is recommended by the researcher as being

suitable for use by schools. However, successful implementation of the self-review
mode of self-assessment process requires careful planning by teachers and school
principals who intend using it.
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At the school level, the purpose of a self-review mode of self-assessment is to support
the schools’ quality assurance and improvement processes. Schools can conduct self-
reviews primarily to identify improvements and efficiencies in support of identified
schools’ goals and to validate strengths based on the formalised analysis (Adams et
al., 2008). Kells (1995:30) states that ‘the chief benefits to any institution in undertaking
a self-review are staff members’ meaningful participation in clarifying and solving
problems, enhancement to institutional openness, and improving overall institutional
effectiveness’.

However, apart from the self-assessment benefits that schools can experience, there
are potential caveats that self-assessment can bring to an organisation. Adams et al.
(2008:7-9) posit that in a school setting, the following can contribute towards a negative
perception of self-assessment mainly by teachers:

 An unclear purpose for the self-review;

 Creating perceptions of a bureaucratic process;

 Perception of review ‘fatigue’, which can make engagement difficult;

 Potential (and perception) for outcomes to be used punitively;

 Inability to identify good evidence/information as a basis for self-review;

 Non-alignment to individual staff outcomes;

 Resistance to change.

Therefore, the selection of a suitable self-assessment mode depends largely on the

personal, professional and contextual needs of the school. It requires that all school
principals and teachers be sensitised to varied self-assessment modes before they can
make an informed decision of their commitment towards using a chosen self-
assessment strategy. The advantages and disadvantages of each self-assessment
mode can serve as a starting point to help school principals and teachers choose the
most suitable self-assessment mode to improve and enhance quality education in
schools.

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 3.3.9 Design of self-assessment processes

The implementation of self-assessment strategies requires strategic planning. This is

where total quality management (TQM) principles have a pivotal role to play in an
organisation’s goal to excel amidst competition. In an educational context, Deming’s
fourteen principles of quality management (cf. par. 2.3.2.1) can serve as feasible
guidelines that school principals can adapt to ensure that self-assessment strategies
become effective measures for continuous quality education enhancement in schools.
Mt Edgecumbe in the USA is one school that is renowned for adapting and using
Deming’s principles of TQM in improving the school’s performance.

School principals and teachers in their quest to enhance quality education can use
Deming’s principles as stated above to guide their chosen self-assessment strategies.
The most significant and challenging part of self-assessment is that of designing a
suitable self-assessment strategy process itself.

In designing self-assessment processes, it is essential that schools establish first and

foremost the guidelines and characteristics that will guide and inform the design of the
chosen self-assessment process. Figure 5 can guide school principals and teachers in
designing self-assessment processes.

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 Main stages of self-assessment processes

Figure 5: Designing the self-assessment process

(Adapted from Adams et al., 2008:9)

Stage 1: Designing the process

Designing the self-assessment process can be problematic, uninteresting and

cumbersome to staff involved in designing it especially if the environment is not
conducive. Deming’s eighth principle encourages school principals to create an
enabling environment that can make self-assessment designers (in this case,
teachers) free from fear. Teachers should take full ownership of and responsibility for
the entire design process without fear.

Stage 2: Allocate resources

The self-review process requires that school principals should allocate physical,
financial and human resources for the self-assessment process to be conducted
successfully. This requires funding of all activities such as paper procurement, collating
of data and report compilation and publication where necessary.

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 Stage 3: Identify and collect information

The third stage can be problematic as it deals directly with educational processes that
are often hard to measure in a school environment. This is often compounded by the
fact that processes that are measured often take long periods of time to assess their
impact (Schmitz & Whitworth, 2002). It is, therefore, important that performance
measures, processes and outcomes of the self-review process be clearly identified
from the onset.

Stage 4: Develop self-assessment strategies

Schools can develop self-assessment strategies (cf. par. 3.3.1) based on their
professional needs, availability of resources, goals and scope of the self-review review
process to be undertaken. The chosen self-assessment strategy often guides the types
of questions that need to be formulated to solicit information from the teachers
conducting the self-assessment process.

The formulated questions should provoke critical thinking pertaining to the school
vision, mission, goals, and objectives. According to Adams et al. (2008:16) ‘the
questions should ensure that they stimulate thinking about important issues, and
require evaluation and judgment (as opposed to purely descriptive responses)’. Low-
level types of questions as expounded by the Bloom’s taxonomy of Yes/No answer
type of questions should be avoided because such questions do not meaningfully
engage teachers in self-reviewing their day-to-day activities.

International Excellency frameworks such as the Deming’s Excellence Award,

Baldridge Criteria for Performance Excellence, and the European Quality Improvement
System can provide vital information and guidelines that can inform the design and
development of a chosen self-assessment process. Adams et al. (2008:18) assert that
the Excellency models often provide standards/criteria which schools can use to
conduct the self-assessment processes by focusing on key questions such as:

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  What are our achievements against the standard/criterion? Are these likely
to change in the foreseeable future?

 What evidence do we have?

 What processes and outcomes relate to this standard/criterion?

 How well are we performing across the main elements of these (and is there
comparison or benchmarking data to compare this performance with that of
others?)

 How could we improve – over the short-term and longer?

Formulated questions in the selected self-assessment strategy should directly link to

the set criteria, strategic goals and objectives of the school. The questions should
invoke respondents to provide evidence and outcomes to substantiate their opinions
which is not possible in ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ question/answer types.

Stage 5: Undertake assessment

The self-assessment strategy that an organisation chooses to use determines the

scope of questions and data that need to be captured during the self-assessment
process. In a school context, school principals can form working groups such as quality
circles (cf. par. 3.2.4) that focus on fields of teaching specialisation to carefully design
tools that address specific issues within the self-assessment process. It is imperative
for teachers to consider current activities and outcomes against those that are desired
in line with Ministerial policy provisions and identified good practice in other schools
(Adams et al., 2008).

Stage 6: Analyse results

Self-reviews can generate either qualitative or quantitative data or a combination of

both. Whichever way, the data analysis process should eventually yield information
that clearly shows major strengths and areas for improvement. Rating scales can be
used by schools to analyse data across different aspects of the self-review (Adams et
al., 2008). In schools, for example, teachers can rate their teaching practices against
set standards and/or criteria that external agencies regard as best practices. However,
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in cases where teachers underperform, such performance records should be used to
enhance quality education and not to reprimand teachers in schools.

Stage 7: Develop a report

After self-review data is analysed for common trends and practices, the next step is to
compile a report. Apparently, there is no one model for a self-review report as reports
can be written using different styles of reporting. However, a self-review process report
should broadly cover a wide spectrum of an organisation conducting the self-review.
According to Adams et al. (2008:18):

The goal of a self-review review process should be a report that fairly and
honestly portrays the … program reviewed, avoids personal agendas, and
warrants broad support amongst institutional stakeholders and be analytical,
contain judgments with associated rationale, and be forward-looking.

Most important is that a self-review report should identify challenges that teachers
encounter on a day-to-day basis and suggest possible solutions. Additionally, a self-
review report should be used by school principals and teachers to identify opportunities
that can be tapped into to enhance quality education in schools.

Stage 8: Validate outcomes

The validity, credibility and trustworthy of the self-review report outcomes will be
influenced largely by the outcomes generated either by qualitative or quantitative
methods of data analysis. It is incumbent upon the school principals to cross-check the
outcomes by employing triangulation mechanisms to validate the self-review
outcomes. Schools within geographical proximity such as circuits or clusters can invite
cluster-head principals or effective teachers from neighbouring schools to help identify
and confirm the self-review report outcomes. For acceptability and credibility of a self-
review report, an outsider is required to confirm or disconfirm the report outcomes.

Stage 9: Develop departmental self-improvement plans

It is incumbent upon school principals to ensure teachers develop departmental self-

improvement plans or action plans that emanate from the self-review report. The

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departmental self-improvement plans should clearly show the responsibilities and
accountabilities for actions to mitigate identified areas for improvement. The plans
should clearly state how the mitigation process will be conducted. Table 3 illustrates
how teachers can develop departmental self-improvement plans.

Table 3: Sample of a self-improvement plan (Kadhila, 2012)

Self-Improvement Action Plan

Focus area Action Focal Team Means Time- Proof Monitoring

person Leader required line of work plans
done
Teaching

As pointed out earlier on, self-reviews can be cumbersome processes. It is important

that actions that need implementation are regularly monitored to track progress to
sustain staff morale and commitment. Otherwise, the process may discourage
teachers from participation in future self-review activities.

Stage 10: Evaluate the self-review process

In line with Crosby’s and Deming’s 14th principles of quality improvement, it is advisable
that schools should embed cultures of self-review to evaluate each cycle of the self-
review process. The evaluation activity can either be formal (e.g. verbal reporting) or
informal (e.g. questionnaires) depending on the needs and scope of the evaluation
process. The information gathered from the evaluation process can be used to design
and develop future self-review processes to enhance quality education in schools.
School principals and teachers can agree to use appropriate self-assessment
strategies that meet their contextual, cultural and social needs.

3.3.10 Conclusion

In this section, the researcher presented effective self-assessment strategies that are
renowned worldwide for being instrumental in improving organisations that schools can
adapt. The researcher perceives self-assessment as a strategic management tool that
enables organisations to measure their performances against internally or externally
set goals. Teachers engaged in self-assessment processes have the potential to

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improve the quality of education in schools. Therefore, the researcher posits that
teachers, once given the right opportunity, can be innovative and pro-active in using
suitable self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education in schools.

Powell (2000:47) points out that ‘through the use of self-assessment, teachers
themselves become the originators of change and professional learning’. However,
this can only be realised with the support and willingness of school principals. Teachers
can be empowered by school principals to choose suitable and appropriate self-
assessment strategies to identify the strengths and weaknesses of departmental units
in schools. With adequate support from the school principals, teachers can contribute
enormously towards the provision and enhancement of quality education in schools.

3.4 QUALITY EDUCATION IN THE NAMIBIAN CONTEXT

The notion of quality education in the Namibian context is yet to be explicit. Ninnes
(2011:8) states that, ‘the question of what constitutes a “quality” education is both
important and difficult, yet some recent publications that purport to address quality
education take the concept as a given and provide no substantive conceptualization’.
It is difficult to define quality education if quality itself is difficult to define as stated in
Chapter two, (cf. par. 2.2.2). The Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) does
not give clear definitions of quality education but rather identifies features or attributes
of quality education. GRN (2002:14) regards quality education as ‘being characterized
by many factors, among others, teachers’ qualifications, resource allocation, teaching
materials and equipment’. The Ministry of Education in Namibia which has over the
years changed its ministerial name many times (i.e. Ministry of Education, Art and
Culture; Ministry of Basic and Higher Education; Ministry of Education, Arts and Sports;
etc.) perceives quality education in terms of shared national standards. This is
evidenced by the introduction of national standards and performance indicators which
are aligned to ISO 9000 standards that envisage satisfying and exceeding the needs
and expectations of learners.

Schools are required to conduct self-evaluations on an annual basis against national

teaching standards. The national standards and performance indicators use a four-
point scale to determine the performance indicators of quality of education in schools
(Ministry of Education, 2005:2):
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 Level 4: Excellent Strong in all or almost all themes

Level 3: Good More strengths than weaknesses

Level 2: Fair More weaknesses than strengths

Level 1: Weak Extensive weaknesses

Schools that perform at Level 4 are regarded as schools that offer quality education.
The performance indicators are strong in all or almost all themes. All schools in
Namibia are aspired to be at level 4 in the long run as the majority of schools are rated
at level 2.

Teachers are also required to complete a teacher self-evaluation (TSE) instrument

where they tick in the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ columns against set standards and performance
indicators: ‘Subject administration’, ‘Preparing myself’, ‘Lesson presentation’, and,
‘Other issues I must attend to’. Thereafter, teachers summarise their self-assessments
by indicating ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ under the sub-headings mentioned above. Finally, teachers
compile personal development plans in which they indicate weaknesses to improve
teaching in the classroom and to sustain what is good. Although the TSE instrument
enables teachers to list and tally their strengths and weaknesses, it does not probe
teachers to self-critique and justify their ratings of performance indicators.

The Ministry of Education (2005:2) acknowledges that ‘one of the problems in

quantifying aspects of the work of schools is that much of what is most important does
not show up in the more obvious “hard” statistics like attendance or promotion rates,
or examination results’. This concept of quality leaves a quality loop in that quality is
based on subjective judgments of those observing the work of the school despite the
fact that performance indicators are designed to reduce this element of subjectivity
(Ministry of Education, 2005).

Like in many educational systems, there exists no agreed definition of quality in

education in the Namibian education sector. Despite the vagueness of the meaning of
quality in education, some scholars and authorities posit that quality in education is
best perceived from the contextual environment from which one is defining it such as

85
‘teaching, learning and curriculum’ (Dimmock, 1990:201). According to the Ministry of
Education (1993:37):

The most important challenge in improving the quality of our education system
is to ensure that our teachers are well prepared for the major responsibilities
they carry … It is essential, therefore, that we help our teachers develop the
expertise and skills that will enable them to stimulate learning.

This assumption of viewing quality in education indicates a strong link between

continuous professional development and quality education enhancement – especially
in the areas of teachers’ beliefs, practices and professionalism (Van Graan & Leu,
2006). Furthermore, quality education is also seen in the light of teachers’ competency
to implement the syllabus and curriculum materials for which they are responsible for
meeting the needs, interests and abilities of students in their classes (Ministry of
Education, 1993).

Another view of quality of education in Namibia - in which teachers play a pivotal role
- is that of national examinations, which are normally written at the end of each school
calendar year. This view of quality education perceives quality of education as vested
in the output of an education system based on learner achievement in external
examinations. In the Zambezi region, Grades 10 and 12 national examination results
are often regarded as the main indicators of quality. Thus, teachers and schools that
attain the highest number of passes are reported in the public media and rewarded in
monetary terms and in kind by the Ministry of Education. This practice of viewing quality
education in terms of examination results is indeed one effective strategy for motivating
non-performing schools to emulate the so-called quality schools.

However, this notion of quality has its limitations and might be misleading. This quality
view is contrary to Deming’s 10th and 11th principles which discourage the use of
external factors such as examinations to motivate teachers to work harder. This is also
firmly asserted by the Ministry of Education (1993:39) that, ‘[examinations] will never
be sufficient as sole indicators of the quality of education’. The focus on examinations
as a quality indicator is in sharp contrast with the philosophy underpinning the
education system in Namibia, which advocates for acquisition of skills rather than
memorising knowledge for examination purposes (Ministry of Education, 1993). As
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Botha & Hite (2000:7) state, ‘while this practice may seem to be motivating, teaching
for examinations (i.e. teaching the syllabus content only) may deny learners the
opportunity to access the breadth of knowledge associated with education’.

Another perception of quality is found in ministerial strategic management plans of

government such as in the Education Training Sector Improvement Program (ETSIP),
the National Development Program (NDP 4), and Vision 2030. According to Namibia’s
Vision 2030 (2006:1), ‘Namibia should join the ranks of high income countries and
afford all its citizens a quality of life that is comparable to that of the developed world’.
Thus, by the year 2030, all Namibian citizens should be comparable to the living
standards of their counterparts in developed countries in the world through education.
ETSIP in its effort to support the realisation of the ultimate goal of Vision 2030 aims to
‘substantially enhance the [education] sector’s contribution to the attainment of
strategic national development goals, and to facilitate the transition to a knowledge
based economy’ (ETSIP 2007:8). GRN (2012) aims to produce ‘well-educated people
with a high quality of life. These people are thus competent, competitive, creative, and
can solve problems and come out with solutions of the current development
challenges’ (GRN, 2012; Mlyakado, 2012:3).

The notion of quality education as espoused by Dunga (2013) is applicable to Namibia

quality education and perceived to be determined by the resources invested in schools
by public or private sectors. However, despite significant investments and numerous
efforts by the government to strengthen education and skills, Namibia’s education
system is still perceived as performing below its potential and, therefore, remains a
strategic area under NDP 4. Education is acknowledged to be the single most
important aspect of human development, and a critical success factor for economic
advancement and increased equality.

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According to GRN (2007:7), some components that constitute quality education,
include:

 Skills and competencies that learners must acquire at each level, ensuring

consistency with competencies proven to be critical for effective functioning

in a knowledge based Economy (KBE);

 Strengthening of educators to ensure that they can effectively facilitate the

acquisition of set skills and competencies; and,

 Strengthening managers and teachers’ accountability for system

effectiveness and learner acquisition of set skills and competencies.

It is anticipated that if the above-outlined quality improvement tenets are to be fulfilled,

it will require the active engagement of teachers and school principals. This will
consequently lead Namibia to yield much better returns for its considerable investment
in education. It is, however, noted that the current system of general education is
inadequate to effectively support development goals, including a transition to a
knowledge-based economy (GRN, 2006).

To encourage Namibians to embrace Vision 2030, the former Minister of Education,

Nangolo Mbumba, urged the nation to seriously take heed of the various strategic
objectives including that of quality education. According to Mbumba (in GRN, 2006:5:

It is therefore very important that all of us go about this historic change in

education with clarity, determination and unity of purpose. After all, how
successful we are in the education system will largely determine how successful
we are in creating that better future that we long for.

In other words, for any educational system to be efficient and effective, quality
measures will need to be implemented, as they serve as a prerequisite to guarantee a
smooth transition of the current education system to a knowledge-based economy. All
the definitions of quality education mentioned above stem from different perspectives,
inter alia: education, politics, culture and the socio-economic context of Namibia. The
definitions aim to capture various elements that are essential in moulding citizens who
88
are healthy, knowledgeable and willing to support and sustain the envisaged
knowledge-based economy by 2030.

However, as stated in Chapter two above, quality is a difficult concept to comprehend

in education because it depends on who is defining it. Stakeholders who have an
interest in education define quality based on their predetermined interests and priorities
in education. According to Iipinge (2001:3): ‘quality depends on what one thinks is (sic)
the priority issues that deserve attention to making it quality education’. The same
principle applies to the Namibian education system. Despite having a narrow focus on
quality in the education sector, there still exists no single operational definition of quality
in education from both a practical and theoretical perspective in Namibia.

From the aforementioned discourse of quality education in the Namibian context, the
researcher identifies one central feature of quality education, which is, ‘teacher
effectiveness’. Teachers who are effective are innovative in designing and
implementing continuous professional development activities that sharpen teachers’
pedagogical competencies can contribute immensely towards quality education
enhancement in schools. As pointed out by authorities and renowned scholars,
improving teacher effectiveness guarantees the realisation of quality education in
educational institutions, including schools. However, teacher professional
development should not only focus on skills development or the acquisition of new
knowledge of a practical nature, especially if such knowledge is acquired in a context
of mandatory training or for appraisal purposes. Teacher professional development
should rather be based on the awakening awareness of one’s inability or incompetence
to perform according to one’s own expectations or laid-down criteria (Steyn, 2013),
such as contained in the national professional standards for teachers in Namibia.

Hence, self-assessment is thus posited as being suitable to support teachers in

contributing towards quality education in schools as it allows teachers to assess their
strengths and weakness in the school environment without necessarily being
reprimanded by their supervisors.

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3.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT IN THE NAMIBIAN CONTEXT

In Namibia, all state-schools are required to develop SDPs that have clear visions and
goals (Ministry of Education, 2013a). The SDPs serve as the basis for self-assessment
for both external and internal evaluation processes.

The Ministry of Education has two quality assurance mechanisms in schools: internal
and external assessments. Internal assessment comprise of two segments of which
the first requires teachers to self-assess their personal and professional needs while
the second assessment is often done by school principals to assess teachers’
performance through classroom observations. External self-assessment is done
mainly by experts from PQA, such as NIED officials, advisory teachers and other
education professionals through class visits and one-on-one discussions for quality
assurance.

The Ministry of Education (2006) realises that there is a need for reflection to create a
culture of continuous improvement and professionalism that eventually can contribute
towards enhancing quality education in schools. Currently, advisory teachers often visit
schools with poor examination results. However, regular professional support is
hindered by lack of human and financial resources. According to GTZ (2002:3), ‘road
conditions, are often bad, vehicles are in short supply, budgets for travel are depleted,
there are too few inspectors and advisory teachers, and they are often too busy or pre-
occupied with other matters’.

Due to the limited human resources of external evaluators, the Ministry of Education
encourages schools to conduct school self-evaluations based on seven key areas
(Ministry of Education, 2013a:1):

 Provision of resources for the school;

 Curriculum and attainment;

 Teaching and learning processes;

 School as a social unit;

 Management and leadership of school and hostel;

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  Links with parents and community; and,

 Links with other schools and the region.

The school self-evaluation (SSE) instrument consists of standards set in the National
Standards and Performance Indicators to determine the overall performance
improvement over a period of one year. This practice is done annually before the 15 th
October.

The Ministry of Education (2013b) also requires teachers to complete an additional

teacher self-evaluation (TSE) instrument that culminates in a plan of action for
academic improvement (PAAI). The Ministry of Education (2007) further urges
teachers to honestly evaluate themselves and develop personal development plans to
sustain their strengths and improve on the identified weaknesses in subject
administration, i.e. preparation, lesson presentation, teaching strategies, learner
engagement, teaching/learning aids, learners’ work, lesson assessment and
evaluation.

A summary of teachers’ self-assessment ratings is analysed in terms of strengths and

weaknesses (cf. par.3.4). Areas of weakness are identified and given a time frame for
the teachers to accomplish while sustaining the strengths. Once done, teachers and
the school principals finally endorse their signatures on the completed PAAI templates
for use and future reference by both parties (Ministry of Education, 2007).

Furthermore, the once-off self-assessment exercise that teachers are expected to

adhere to is not congruent with the notion of continuous professional development. It
is more of compliance with policy rather than helping teachers to inculcate a culture of
continuous professional development. Some teachers complete the instruments as a
formal requirement and do not critically question or value the significance of such an
exercise as it is a statutory requirement. The ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ type of questions that
teachers are asked to answer do not provoke teachers to examine their personal and
professional needs critically. According to Mainali (2012) the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ question
types belong to the low levels of the Bloom’s taxonomy which are knowledge,
comprehension and application. The Bloom’s taxonomy is a hierarchy of thinking levels
at which at the bottom are low levels of thinking while at the top of the hierarchy lies
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higher levels of thinking skills. This thesis advocates for effective self-assessment
strategies that can challenge teachers to use higher order thinking skills to critically
reflect on how quality education in teaching and learning can be enhanced in schools.
Mainali (2012:6) defines higher thinking as ‘thinking that happens in analysis, synthesis
and evaluation levels of Bloom’s taxonomy [and] includes critical, logical, reflective,
metacognitive and creative thinking’.

The National Professional Standards for Teachers in Namibia (Ministry of Education,

2006) have been developed in line with ISO 9000 standards (cf. par. 2.2.4) to
encourage teachers to assess their own performances, engage in own professional
development and participate in the professional community, and contribute to
developing and/or enhancing the professional expertise and practice of other teachers.
However, there are no explicit procedures of how this can be done. The aforesaid self-
assessment strategies can guide teachers to develop suitable strategies that can help
to enhance quality education in schools. Therefore, the school principals have a critical
role to play in ensuring that the selected self-assessments strategies achieve the
ultimate goal of enhancing quality education in schools.

In this section, the researcher presented a brief discourse of how quality education is
perceived in Namibia. From the Namibian literature: ministerial documents (e.g.
circulars, manuals, etc.); policy books; ETSIP document; NDPs’; white paper
document; Vision 2030; there is no agreement on a single definition of what quality
education is and what it entails. Generally, quality education is perceived in terms of
features or characteristics, such as teacher effectiveness, infrastructure, and physical,
human and financial resources that schools are supposed to possess. Additionally,
quality education is defined by different stakeholders based on their needs and
interests in education.

Deducing from the discourse above, the notion of quality, which is central to this thesis,
manifests itself as a multifaceted concept that is difficult to define. Some sceptics use
the ambiguity of the term ‘quality’ as evidence to discard its appropriateness and
suitability in education. On the contrary, despite the fact that there exists no universally
agreed upon definition of quality education, the notion of quality is gaining momentum
of acceptance in the Namibian education sector and beyond.

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3.6 CONCLUSION

Chapter three presented the link between self-assessment strategies and quality
education based on a literature study of diverse materials: Ministry of Education
documents; national and international conference papers; peer-reviewed articles;
national documents, such as Vision 2030, ETSIP, and NDPs, which focus on the role
that teachers can play towards enhancing quality education in schools. From the
discourse, the researcher advocates the self-assessment strategies: surveys, guided
assessment workshops, questionnaires, reflective journals, matrix, award simulation,
and self-reviews as suitable quality modes of enhancing quality education in schools.
The advantages and disadvantages of each strategy were outlined to help teachers
make informed decisions when selecting suitable and appropriate self-assessment
strategies for use at their respective schools. General guidelines for designing self-
assessment strategies were also presented for teachers to adapt and adopt according
to their personal and professional needs.

In conclusion, the researcher posits that teacher effectiveness is central to ensuring

that schools realise the desired goal of enhancing quality education in schools.
Therefore, school principals have an important role to play in creating conducive
environments in which teachers are encouraged to be innovative in enhancing quality
education through the use of self-assessment strategies in schools.

The next chapter presents the research methodology used in this study.

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 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter four provides an outline of the selected research design and rationale for using
the sequential exploratory mixed methods approach in this study. The chapter also
highlights the study population and sampling methods, followed by a presentation of
the instrumentation employed during the study and how the collected data was
analysed. Additionally, the chapter addresses ethical research issues of
trustworthiness, reflexivity, objectivity, validity and reliability of the study.

4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is a type of inquiry that provides specific direction for procedures in
a quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research study (Creswell, 2014). A
mixed methods research design was used to address the complex nature of the
research problem which could not be addressed from the unique perspectives of a
qualitative or quantitative study (Ponce & Pagán-Maldonado, 2015). However, despite
mixing the two approaches of qualitative and quantitative methods, the researcher
advanced the qualitative [QUAL] research design to be the most predominant research
method in this particular study. Therefore, a sequential mixed methods design was
used to address the research problem of how quality education in teaching and
learning can be enhanced in the Zambezi region.

4.2.1 Research paradigm

A research paradigm is a method of knowledge generation in a research study

(McMillan & Schumacher, 2014). The research paradigm that guided the mixed-
methods study approach of this study was that of pragmatism. The pragmatic paradigm
is a worldview that ‘arises out of actions, situations, and consequences rather than
antecedent conditions’ (Creswell, 2014:10). It is interested with feasible action of what
works and practical solutions to identified problems. In this case, the researcher was
interested in exploring feasible self-assessment strategies that can enhance quality
education in the Zambezi region. Pragmatism is closely linked to mixed methods of
inquiry as it uses multiple methods of research primarily to gather more detailed data
of the problem under study (Creswell, 2014). In the light of the complexity of the
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problem under study, the pragmatic paradigm was chosen as being suitable for this
particular research because it enabled the researcher to employ multiple methods of
research to gather in-depth data on quality education in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

4.2.2 Mixed methods approach

In this study, the researcher employed a mixed methods research approach that
integrated and combined both qualitative and quantitative forms of inquiry. According
to Schumacher and McMillan (2014:4), mixed method refers to ‘a study that combines
qualitative and quantitative techniques and/or data analysis within different phases of
the research process’. Similarly, Ponce and Pagán-Maldonado (2015:113) define a
mixed methods study as ‘research intentionally combining or integrating quantitative
and qualitative approaches as components of the research’. The qualitative and
quantitative components can be used at different stages or phases of the study.

There are two mixed methods of design, namely: explanatory and exploratory mixed
designs. Both methods involve two-phase projects in which the explanatory mixed
design first collects quantitative data which is analysed and used to inform the second,
qualitative phase. Creswell (2014:243) defines the explanatory mixed method design
as ‘a mixed methods strategy that involves a two-phase project in which the researcher
collects quantitative data in the first phase, analyzes the results, and then uses the
results to plan (or build) the second, qualitative phase’. The second design, starts with
collecting qualitative data to inform the second phase of the study (quantitative). For
this study, the later design was used, and therefore, the first design will not be
substantively discussed any further.

Creswell (2014:243) defines the exploratory sequential mixed method design (See
Figure 6 below) as ‘a mixed methods strategy that involves a two-phase project in
which the researcher first collects qualitative data and then follows up or builds on this
database with a second quantitative data collection and analysis’. The explorative
sequential mixed methods approach allowed the researcher first to collect and analyse
primary qualitative data which was used to design an in-depth quantitative phase. This
enabled the researcher to generate results and findings on the research problem of
enhancing quality education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi region.

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 Exploratory mixed methods design

Results/Findings

Interpretation
Phase 2: Quantitative [QUAN] data collection and analysis

Informs

Phase 1: Qualitative [QUAL] data collection and analysis

Figure 6: Exploratory sequential mixed methods design

Denscombe (2008:272-273) argues that ‘[qualitative and quantitative] methods are

mixed to produce a more complete picture, to avoid the biases intrinsic to the use of
monomethods design, and as a way of building on, and developing, initial findings’. By
combining both the qualitative and quantitative approaches, the researcher envisaged
gathering in-depth data on the research problem of how quality education in teaching
and learning can be enhanced in the Zambezi region of Namibia. Schumacher and
McMillan (2014:426) state that:

The best approach to answering research questions is to use both quantitative

and qualitative methods in the same study or when using solely a quantitative
or qualitative method would be insufficient to provide complete answers that
meet the goal or purpose of the study.

The mixed methods approach combines both approaches in a research as illustrated

in the middle column of Table 4 below. Sithole et al. (2013) provide a set of criteria to
compare and contrast the differences that exist between quantitative and qualitative
research (See Table 5 below).

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 Table 4: Quantitative, mixed, and qualitative methods

(Creswell, 2014:17)

Quantitative Methods Mixed Methods Qualitative Methods

Pre-determined Both predetermined and Emerging methods
emerging methods
Instrument based Both open- and closed- Open-ended questions
questions ended questions
Performance data, Multiple forms of data Interview data,
attitude data, drawing on all possibilities observation data,
observational data, and document data, and
census data audio-visual data
Statistical analysis Statistical and text Text and image analysis
analysis
Statistical interpretation Across databases Themes, patterns
interpretation interpretation

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 Table 5: Comparison of quantitative and qualitative research

(Sithole et al., 2013:17)

Criterion Quantitative Qualitative

Structure/design Rigid Flexible
Size of the study Often big Likely to be small in size
Personal Objective/neutral Subjective
involvement of
the researcher
Reasoning Seeks to generate findings Seeks to understand the
and generalise from sample phenomenon under study from
population (deductive) the sample (inductive)
Sample/s Representative of the Not representative of the
population population
Type of collected Measurements; scores; Oral and written expressions
data counts of opinions, feeling, etc.
Theory Tests a theory Theory emerges as the study
continues or as a product of
the study
Hypothesis Tests whether a statement of May generate more theories
relationships between and hypotheses
variables can be confirmed
Data analysis Statistics Coding, text analysis
Analysis Uses numbers and statistics Uses recurrence of themes
Variables Seeks to find relationship Seeks to understand the
between variables variables
(independent and dependent
variables)
Literature study Extensive literature study is Literature study is sometimes
done at the beginning of the delayed until data has been
study collected

From several mixed research designs advanced by Tashakkori and Teddlie (2010),
the sequential mixed design was adopted from which both qualitative and quantitative
major findings were subsequently synthesised for interpretation. During the first phase
of this study, the researcher explored how the school principals and HoDs understood
quality and quality education in teaching and learning using the National Performance
Standards for Teachers in Namibia which is in line with ISO 9000 standards. This was
helpful to determine the extent to which teaching and learning met and exceeded the
needs of learners in the light of poor learner outcomes in the national examinations.

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The information gathered from school principals and HoDs provided the researcher
with an opportunity to learn from the good practice of selected combined schools
located in the remote areas in the Zambezi region. An analysis of the best trends and
practices of self-assessment strategies were streamlined to inform the second phase
of the study to seek more factual information pertaining quality education enhancement
in teaching and learning.

Additionally, during the first phase of the study, it emerged that the use of TSE as a
quality assurance mechanism in schools was wanting and fell-short of enhancing the
quality of education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi region. It also emerged
that there was need for school principals and HoDs to explore alternative quality
assurance mechanisms that can complement the current TSE to enhance quality
education in teaching and learning in the Zambezi region.

During the study, there emerged patterns from the first phase of the research
(qualitative phase) which informed the second phase of the research (quantitative).
The researcher collected data according to a very specific set of steps to remain as
objective and neutral as possible. Quantitative data was statistically analysed so that
findings can be generalised from a relatively small sample to the bigger population.

4.2.3 Aim of the research

The main aim of this particular study was to establish how self-assessment strategies
can be used to enhance the quality of education in teaching and learning in the
Zambezi region of Namibia (cf. par. 1.5).

4.2.4 Research problem

The research problem for this particular study was to improve the quality of education
in teaching and learning in combined schools in the remote areas in the Zambezi
region. The remote schools seldom receive adequate professional support to improve
teaching and learning processes. Hence, the researcher explored how teachers can
improve teaching and learning processes in the Zambezi region. The problem
statement read as:

How can the quality of education in teaching and learning be improved in

schools in the Zambezi region?
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The following sub-problems guided the study (cf. par. 1.4):

 What entails quality and quality education?

 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality

education in general terms?
 What recourses are available to ensure that quality education is realised
by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region?
 How can a self-assessment strategy model be developed to enhance the
quality of education in the Zambezi region?

4.3 STUDY POPULATION AND SAMPLING

4.3.1 Study population

The study participants were drawn from a total number of forty-three (43) combined
schools in the Zambezi region. The study population comprised forty-three (43) school
principals, forty-eight (48) HoDs, and six-hundred and seven (607) teachers in
combined schools in Zambezi region (Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, 2017).

4.3.2 Sample for the qualitative phase

Five school principals and five HoDs from the five educational circuits were
purposefully sampled to form the population sample for the qualitative phase. McMillan
and Schumacher (2014:5) define purposeful sampling as ‘a type of sampling that
allows choosing small groups or individuals who are likely to be knowledgeable and
informative about the phenomenon of interest’. In this study, five school principals and
five HoDs were purposively selected from the remotest schools in the Zambezi region.
The selected school principals and HoDs often receive minimal professional support
from external agencies to enhance quality education in teaching and learning.

4.3.3 Sample for the quantitative phase

From a total of 607 teachers, 70 teachers from the five aforementioned schools were
randomly sampled to participate in the second phase of the exploratory sequential
mixed methods study. McMillan and Schumacher (2014:5) define random sampling as
‘a procedure for selecting subjects from a population in such a way that every member
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of the population has an equal chance of being selected’. The participating teachers
were randomly sampled from the same five combined schools as those of the school
principals and HoDs mentioned-above. At least three or four teachers in the four grade
phases (lower primary, junior primary, upper primary, and junior secondary) were
randomly selected by the school principals to complete the Likert-scale questionnaires.

In cases where teachers were less than three or four in a grade phase, all the teachers
in such a grade phase were included in the sample population. In instances where the
number of teachers exceeded four in a grade phase, systematic sampling methods
were used to select teachers for the sample population. A systematic sampling method
is a sampling method ‘in which each individual in the population has an equal
probability of being selected’ (Creswell, 2014:158). In this case, the first two or three
even and odd numbers in the teachers’ registers were used to select three or four
teachers for the sample population. However, despite using both random and
structured sampling methods, only 54 out of 70 selected teachers from the five
combined schools in the five educational circuits of the Zambezi region completed the
questionnaires.

The first part of the Likert-scale questionnaire asked the participants to provide
demographic data (gender, age, teaching experience, grade phases, highest
educational qualifications, and current studies). The second part had thirty-eight
questions for the participants to rate statements on a five-point scale (1.Totally
disagree, 2. Disagree, 3. Not Sure, 4. Agree and 5. Totally agree). The question
statements were grouped into specific categories according to the objectives of the
study.

4.3.4 Informed consent

The researcher presented a research clearance certificate from the College of

Education Research Ethics Review Committee (CEDU REC), UNISA, (See Appendix
A) to the Regional Director of Education in the Zambezi region to seek permission to
conduct research in five selected schools in the region. Thereafter, five circuit
inspectors were served with copies of letters from the Regional Director that granted
the researcher permission to conduct research in schools in the five circuits of the
Zambezi region (See Appendix B). The five participating school principals were
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informed about the purpose of the school visits which was to collect qualitative and
quantitative data by means of face-to-face interviews, focus group interviews and
Likert-scale questionnaires.

Face-to-face meetings with the school principals and HoDs were held in the afternoons
to explain the purpose, benefits and outcomes of their participation prior to giving them
consent letters for their signatures. All the participants: five (5) school principals, five
(5) heads of departments and seventy (70) teachers were given consent letters to
familiarise themselves with the purpose of the study before making decisions to
participate or not. To avoid disrupting the scheduled school activities the research was
conducted in the afternoons after normal school working hours.

4.3.5 Anonymity and confidentiality

The principles of anonymity and confidentiality are ethical requirements that

researchers should respect. Sithole et al. (2013:33) caution that ‘a participant’s data
must never be associated immediately and obviously with his or her name or any other
identifier’. In this study, the researcher assigned numbers to participants’ data to
ensure that the data remained anonymous. Furthermore, the researcher informed the
participants that information gathered from them will not be divulged to anyone other
than the researcher. A letter of confidentiality was given and explained to participants
before they signed the assent and consent letters.

4.3.6 Ethical issues and considerations

The researcher explained to the participants the ethical issues that would be adhered
to and considered throughout the study. Sithole et al. (2013:37) state that, ‘research
ethics are designed to ensure that research takes place according to the highest moral
standards, and that science does no harm to people or communities, either
intentionally or inadvertently’. This research was, therefore, guided by ethical research
guidelines that included informed consent, voluntary participation, the right to
discontinue participation, the right to anonymity or confidentiality, as well as honesty in
analysis and publication to avoid ethical research transgressions.

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4.4 INSTRUMENTATION

4.4.1 Literature review

The researcher intended to acquire knowledge of current theory and research on the
controversial topic of quality and quality education enhancement in schools. Boote and
Beile, (2005:4) posit that literature review is ‘the foundation of any research project …
It sets the broad context of the study, clearly demarcates what is and what is not within
the scope of the investigation, and justifies those decisions’.

The broad context of this study entailed a discourse on the controversial concept of
quality and quality education from both local and international perspectives. Quality
theories espoused by renowned quality gurus served as the basis for this study. This
included studying literature reviews on: Edward W. Deming (1988); Philip B. Crosby,
and Joseph M. Juran (1979). These quality theorists are regarded as the pioneers of
total quality management (TQM) that is gaining global momentum in both the private
and public sector. However, the relevance of the notion of quality in the education
sector is not well-embraced by some educationists. These educationists argue that
quality rightly belongs to the industry and manufacturing sectors of goods production.
However, the demand for accountability of investments in educational institutions by
stakeholders has necessitated schools to meet stakeholders’ needs and expectations
and has made the notions of ‘quality’ and ‘quality education’ to be relevant in the
education sector. The onus is upon schools to adapt the notion of quality to
continuously improve quality education in schools. Hence, the use of self-assessment
which is based on TQM can help teachers to support one another to enhance quality
education in schools.

The literature review was put into the study context by reviewing literature by
contemporary educationists who perceive teachers as essential for quality education
to be realised in schools. The scope of the study was to ascertain how teachers can
contribute towards quality education enhancement in schools through self-
assessment. The literature relevant to this aspect of the study included: Muijs and
Reynolds (2011); MacBeath (1999); Weinbaum (2002), Deming’s Prize, European
Excellence, and Malcolm Baldridge Education Quality Awards.

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For the local perceptions on the notions of quality and quality education in Namibia,
the following literature was consulted: scholarly journals, journal articles, Ministry of
Education documents, books, conference proceedings, electronic documents,
dissertations and theses. Computerised databases such as ERIC and EBSCO were
used to gather relevant and contemporary literature on the topic of interest. The
rationale for consulting such valuable sources of literature was to assess and
determine the ‘knowledge gap’ pertaining to quality education in the Zambezi region.
By reviewing the literature, the researcher envisaged to learn first-hand what has been
studied and practised on the topic of interest with the motive of increasing
understanding of the concept under investigation.

4.4.2 Qualitative research phase of the exploratory sequential mixed

methods approach

In this study, the researcher attempted to integrate qualitative and quantitative

research approaches to collect qualitative and quantitative data on quality and quality
education in general (See Figure 6). An exploratory sequential mixed methods design
was adopted to collect both qualitative and quantitative data sequentially during two
different phases of the data collection process.

During the first phase of the data collection process, the researcher collected data by
using two types of interviews (cf. par.1.8.3): face-to-face (See Appendix C) and focus
group interviews (See Appendix D). Sithole et al. (2013:392) define an interview as, ‘a
data collection technique based on a series of questions relating to the research topic
to be answered by research participants’. Schumacher and McMillan (2014:383) state
that ‘qualitative interviewing requires asking truly open-ended questions’. The
researcher’s role was to probe the school principals to seek in-depth information during
the discussions pertaining to the topic at hand. Similarly, during the focus group
interview, the heads of departments interacted with each other on quality education
enhancement in the Zambezi region (See Appendix D). The interviews (personal and
focus groups) were audio-recorded for reliability checks by capturing the entire
interactions between the interviewer (researcher) and the interviewees (school
principals).

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 4.4.3 Quantitative research phase of the exploratory sequential mixed
methods approach

During the second phase of the study, quantitative research methods were used to
gather structured and numerical data (Matthews & Ross, 2010). The respondents,
namely teachers, were given a Likert-scale questionnaire with numerical data and
scoring sheets to complete. Structured questionnaires were designed to enable
respondents to score and rate their understanding of certain practices that enhance or
inhibit quality education in teaching and learning in schools. The questionnaires sought
to find out teachers’ perceptions of what recourses were available to improve quality
education in teaching and learning at their respective schools. Through the
questionnaire the respondents rated the school principals on how they encouraged or
inhibited self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education in schools. In
Mouton’s (2001:109) view, ‘this set of data relates to the researcher’s results and
findings to existing models, and showing whether these are supported or falsified by
the new interpretation’. The quantitative data that was obtained during the second
phase was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and
Microsoft Excel software programmes. This enabled the researcher to analyse and
interpret quantitative data in tabular form and spreadsheets according to variables and
values.

4.5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

The researcher used face-to-face open-ended interviews and focus group interviews
to collect qualitative data during the first phase of the research. The face-to-face and
focus group interview protocols were designed from an extensive literature review of
documents including ministerial documents to gain a general understanding of the
key concepts of quality and how quality education can be enhanced in schools (cf.
par.4.4.1). The interviews were conducted after working hours to avoid disrupting
school principals and HoDs in conducting their school managerial work. The personal
and focus group interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed by the researcher.
Data gathered from both types of interviews was analysed to identify common themes
and patterns which were later used to inform the quantitative design of the study. A
Likert-scale questionnaire (See Appendix E) which consisted of thirty-eight question

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items was designed in the light of the data collected from the interviews preceding
the quantitative or second phase of the study.

To avoid the use of the poor road infrastructure and risky river transport modes to the
schools, the researcher relied heavily on the available communication channels in the
Zambezi region. Thus, school principals and HoDs were informed and invited to
partake in the envisaged study using pigeonhole systems at the regional education
offices as there are no post offices in the areas where the schools are located.
Furthermore, school telephone and cell phone numbers of school principals and
HoDs were obtained from the regional and circuit offices for communication purposes.
Hence, telephonic arrangements were made for the school principals and HODs to
attend personal and focus group interviews during school holidays.

Before the schools reopened for the second term, school principals were given sealed
envelopes containing information letters, consent letters and seventy (70) Likert-scale
questionnaires for teachers to complete. The researcher requested the five school
principals to help distribute the questionnaires to the participants of the study. The
researcher later collected the completed questionnaires after a period of at least two
weeks from the time when the questionnaires were left at the schools. The researcher
drove to two schools to collect the completed questionnaires after being informed by
the school principals that the questionnaires were ready for collection. The school
principals from the remotest schools were requested to bring the questionnaires while
on private or official business in Katima Mulilo.

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4.6 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION

4.6.1 Data analysis

This study used a mixed methods approach to analyse two separate databases. The
qualitative database was used to build into quantitative measures. This required the
researcher to pay careful attention to the steps of qualitative data analysis to determine
what findings to build on during the second phase of the exploratory sequential mixed
methods. The two phases of the study are discussed next.

Phase 1: Qualitative analysis of the exploratory sequential mixed methods

approach

In this study, the researcher blended the general procedure of data analysis and the
specific steps of data analysis of the exploratory sequential mixed methods. Creswell,
(2014), advances seven interrelated steps (See Figure 7) that the researcher used to
analyse qualitative data.

The steps entailed: organising and preparing data through transcribing data of the
face-to-face interviews with school principals and focus group interviews with heads of
departments manually; reading through the collected data; coding of information;
identifying common trends and themes; presenting common themes, and making an
interpretation of the findings. This process of data analysis enabled the researcher to
generate questions in preparation for the second phase of the research to confirm or
diverge past information on quality education aspects (Creswell, 2014).

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 Data analysis process

Interpreting the Meaning of

Themes/Descriptions

Interrelating Themes/
Description (e.g., grounded
theory, case study)
Themes Description

Validating the Accuracy of

V Coding the Data
the Information (Hand or computer)

Reading
ReadingThrough
throughAll
All Data

Organizing and Preparing

Data for Analysis

Raw Data (transcripts,

fieldnotes, images, etc.)

Figure 7: Data analysis in qualitative research (Creswell, 2014:197)

Phase 2: Quantitative analysis of the exploratory sequential mixed methods

approach

The data collected during the second phase of the exploratory sequential mixed
methods was analysed by means of descriptive statistics, which included frequencies
and percentages to yield codes and themes. The quantitative data was subjected to
reliability tests (cf. par. 4.7.1) to ensure objectivity of the study findings. This was a
useful procedure as it enabled the researcher to develop new variables, identify the
type of scales that might exist in current instruments or to form categories of
information that will be explored further in future studies. The presentation of data will
be discussed next.

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 4.6.2 Data presentation

Hard copies of original instruments used to gather data during the two different phases
of the exploratory sequential mixed methods were kept in a secure place, in this case,
in a lockable steel filing cabinet. Transcribed focus group and face-to-face interview
notes were stored on a computer, memory stick, and on a digital tape-recorder as a
backup mechanism for retrieving data. Completed open-ended questionnaires and
Likert scale questionnaires were kept securely stored in sealed envelopes for easy
access to the raw data for a minimum period of five years. The following sub-section
presents the validity and reliability of the data collected.

4.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

4.7.1 Researcher role and competency

The mixed methods approach required the researcher to be versatile with the
qualitative and quantitative methods of research to comprehend the topic on how self-
assessment strategies can be used to enhance quality education in the Zambezi
region. The researcher first explained the purpose of the study to ensure that the
participants provided reliable and trustworthy data (cf. par. 1.10). This was done to
convince and assure the participants that the information solicited from them will be
kept confidential. By signing the consent forms, both the participants and the
researcher were bound to heed to the norms of confidentiality and to allow for freedom
of expression. The trustworthiness of qualitative data was largely based on the
credibility and dependability of the informants who were well experienced school
managers. The triangulation process of data gathered from the school principals and
HoDs was done to confirm common themes and patterns of quality education in
schools.

The quantitative data that was collected from the respondents on the Likert-scale
questionnaires was analysed using software programmes to check for reliability. The
Cronbach’s tests were used to check the reliability of the quantitative data by use of
Customs tables, Chi-square tests, One-sample t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Mann-
Whitney tests, Inter-item correlation matrix, Item-total statistics, nonparametric
correlations, and Anova tests. Some items were removed from the factor-groups to

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improve Cronbach’s alpha of reliability. The data was analysed to determine the extent
to which the participants agreed or disagreed with the statements on the four sub-
problems of the study (cf. par. 1.4).

4.7.2 Maintaining objectivity and interpersonal subjectivity

In this study, the researcher intended to be as objective as possible throughout the

study by taking a neutral position in data handling and interpretation. According to
Schumacher and McMillan (2014:16-17), objectivity refers to ‘data collection and
analysis procedures from which a simple reasonable interpretation can be made’.

The researcher undertook and maintained objectivity in this study by providing an

explicit description of data collection and analysis procedures in the two different
phases (qualitative and quantitative) of this exploratory sequential mixed methods
study. In the first phase, data was presented verbatim without altering any words or
sentences, while, software programmes were used to systematically analyse data for
easy interpretation.

4.7.3 Reflexivity

According to Morrison, Manion, and Cohen (2011:19), ‘reflexivity refers to the way in
which all accounts of social settings – descriptions, analyses, criticisms, etc. – and the
social settings occasioning them are mutually interdependent’. In this study, the
researcher acknowledged his role as a researcher and sought to understand the
participants’ opinions and beliefs without his personal influence. This required the
researcher as the “instrument” of data gathering and analysis to regularly monitor his
own interactions with participants. Also, the researcher was vigilant of his own actions,
and possible biases to be as interdependent and objective as possible (Luttrell, 2010;
Morrison et al., 2011).

4.8 SUMMARY

Chapter four presented an outline of the selected research design and rationale for
using the exploratory sequential mixed methods approach for this study. The chapter
also focused on the topics that are vital to the mixed research approach, vis-à-vis: the
research problem, research sub-problem, population and sampling, instrumentation,

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data collection procedures, data analysis procedures, reliability, validity and
trustworthiness of the study.

The next chapter interprets and presents the findings of the exploratory sequential
mixed methods approach applied in this particular study.

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 CHAPTER 5: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND
DISCUSSION

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter four outlined the research design and methodology employed in this particular
study of the sequential exploratory mixed methods approach. This chapter will present
analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data collected during two different phases
of the study in response to the four research sub-problems (cf. par. 1.4). The chapter
is divided into three parts. The first part of the chapter presents an analysis and
interpretation of data gathered during the first phase (qualitative) of the study. The
second part presents an analysis of data collected during the second phase
(quantitative) and, lastly, the third part triangulates both the qualitative and quantitative
data collected during the two phases of this study.

Graphic presentations of the analysis of the demographic information of all participants

are also provided in the first and second parts of the chapter. Additionally, in-depth
analysis and discussion of the interviews (individual and focus group) and teacher
questionnaire findings are presented both verbatim and in graphic illustrations to seek
answers to the four sub-problems in Chapter one on how self-assessment strategies
can enhance quality education in the Zambezi region.

5.2 PART A: QUALITATIVE DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

5.2.1 Demographic data of participating school principals

Sub-section 5.2 presents the demographic data analysis of five school principals and
four HoDs who participated in the qualitative phase of the study. During the qualitative
phase of the study, participants were requested to complete demographic data
templates before the interviews. This was done basically to establish the participants’
age; gender; years of teaching experience; years of experience as HoDs; years of
experience as school principals; highest academic qualifications; and current studies.
The structured interviews were designed to gather the participating school principals’
perceptions of quality and quality education in general with reference to the Zambezi
region.

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The school principals and HoDs were informed that the research was approved by the
Research Ethics Clearance Committee from UNISA (See Appendix A) and the
Zambezi Regional Directorate of Education (See Appendix B). Ethical issues
pertaining to confidentiality, anonymity and the freedom to withdraw from partaking in
the study were explained to the participants prior to the commencement of the
interviews. Themes and categories that emerged from the interviews are substantiated
verbatim in this chapter.

5.2.1.1 Gender distribution of participating school principals

Five of the forty-three school principals of combined schools in the Zambezi region
participated in this study. One female and four male school principals participated in
the study as shown in Figure 8 (cf. par. 4.3.2).

Gender of school principals

Figure 8: Gender of school principals

The five participating school principals represent 12% of the total number of forty-three
combined school principals and 4.9% of the total number of schools in the Zambezi
region. The school principals were drawn from the five educational circuits (cf.
par.1.8.2) in the Zambezi region. The first phase of the study aimed to gather the
school principals’ perceptions of quality education in the Zambezi region regardless of
gender as there is no Ministerial gender policy on the deployment of school principals.

5.2.1.2 Age profile of participating school principals

Figure 9 depicts the age profile of participating school principals in the first phase of
this study. The five school principals are divided into three age groups: young, middle-
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aged and old. Thus, one young school principal is in the age group of ≤34 years, (≤34
= 1); two are middle-aged (35-49 years), while the last two school principals are in the
old-age range category (≥50 years) (≥50= 2). The youngest is a female school principal
in the age-range of ≤34 years while the oldest principals fall into the last category of
≥50 years age-range. The two male school principals whose age range is ≥50 years
are moving towards the retirement age-range of 60.

Teachers

1
2

Young ≤34 Middle-aged 35-49 Old ≥50

Figure 9: Age profile of participating school principals

Despite the fact that the majority of teachers in the Zambezi region are females (771)
as opposed to 623 male teachers (Ministry of Education, 2012), most of the combined
schools are managed by male school principals. With an increase of young female
teachers enrolling for teaching at higher institutions of learning, the pattern is bound to
change in the near to distant future in the Zambezi region. Therefore, there is a need
for the ageing male school principals to share their rich experiences of school
management with the newly appointed school principals to ensure that quality
education is realised in the Zambezi region.

5.2.1.3 Highest academic qualifications of participating school principals

Figure 10 illustrates the highest academic qualifications of participating school

principals. The highest educational qualifications that the school principals possess are
B. Ed Honors degrees while the lowest qualification is a Basic Education Teacher
Diploma (BETD).

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 Highest qualifications of school principals
3.5 3
3
School principals 2.5
2
1.5 1 1
1
0.5
0
School Principals
BETD 1
B. Ed 3
B. Tec 1
Highest qualifications

Figure 10: Highest qualifications of school principals

Three school principals are in possession of B. Ed Honours degrees; one is a holder

of B. Technology degree; and the other is in possession of a BETD. In general, the
participating school principals are professionally qualified to manage schools
effectively. However, none of the school principals is pursuing post-graduate studies
at Masters or Doctoral level. This is probably caused by the educational policy that
regards teachers to be professionally qualified by Namibia Qualifications Authority
(NQA) after obtaining National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 7. Once a
teacher is offered a school principal’s post, the zeal to pursue further studies lessens
or totally diminishes. The probability of promotion from the school principal to the
inspector of education post is also very minimal and does not require a Masters or PhD
degree. However, both the inexperienced and the more experienced school principals
can use self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education in the Zambezi
region.

5.2.1.4 School principals’ years of experience

Figure 11 depicts two datasets of school principals’ experience: (i) teaching

experience, and, (ii) years of school principal-ship experience. The school principals
are put into three categories of teaching experience: experienced teachers (≤ 19 years
of teaching experience); well experienced teachers (21 to 29 years teaching
experience); and very much experienced teachers (≥ 30 years teaching experience).

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The school principals are also put into three groups of school principal-ship experience:
novice school principals (≤ 5 years of school principal-ship); experienced school
principals (6 to 10 years of school principal-ship); and experienced school principals (≥
11 years of school principal-ship).

Experience of School Principals

35 30
Years of Experience

30
25 20 20 21
20 16 15
15 11
10 6
3 3
5
0
SP 1 SP 2 SP 3 SP 4 SP 5
Teaching Experience 16 20 20 21 30
School-Principal Experience 3 3 15 11 6
School Principals

Teaching Experience School-Principal Experience

Figure 11: Teaching experience of school principals

Two school principals have ≤ 5 years of school principal-ship experience, one is

moderately experienced with 6 years of school principal-ship experience, and two are
well experienced school principals with ≥ 11 years of school principal-ship experience.
All the five school principals have vast years of teaching experience. Thus, only one
school principal has ≤ 19 years of teaching experience, three have teaching experience
in the range of 20 to 21 years, while the fifth longest serving school principal has ≥ 30
years of teaching experience.

The five school principals have an average of 7.6 years of school principal experience
and an average of 21 years of teaching experience. The school principals have vast
years of teaching experience compared to their experience as school principals. In
general, the school principals have sufficient management experience that can
enhance quality education in schools in the Zambezi region.

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 5.2.2 Demographic data of participating heads of departments (HoDs)

5.2.2.1 Gender distribution of participating heads of departments (HoDs)

Figure 12 denotes four heads of departments (i.e. three males and one female) who
participated in the focus group interview of this sequential explorative mixed method
design. Initially, five HoDs from the same five combined schools as the participating
school principals confirmed to attend and participate in the focus group interview, but
one failed to do so.

However, the absentee HoD registered her apologies for health reasons at the last
minute, thereby, making it difficult for the researcher to invite a substitute HoD at the
brink of the interviews. The four HoDs had travelled long distances to attend the focus
group interview in Katima Mulilo Town. To avoid despair and fatigue among the
participating HoDs, the researcher found it necessary to conduct the focus group
interview as scheduled rather than postponing it indefinitely.

Gender of

Figure 12: Participating heads of departments (HoDs)

The gender distribution of participating HoDs is dominated by male HoDs (cf. par.
5.2.1.1), probably because there is no Ministerial policy on the gender balance of HoD
appointments. Furthermore, due to the remoteness of schools, perhaps, female
teachers unlike their counterparts, were hesitant to apply for HoD posts because of the
challenges of accessing remote schools due to poor road infrastructure and annual
floods. In the Zambezi region, it is common traditional practice for men than women to
paddle canoes in rivers or flood waters. Probably, female principals could be reluctant
to apply for school principal posts in flood prone areas due to the traditional beliefs that
bar women from canoeing in flood waters and rivers.

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 5.2.2.2 Age profile of participating HoDs

Figure 13 shows the age profile of HoDs who participated in the focus group interview
that was conducted during the first phase of this sequential explorative mixed method
study. The participating HoDs are in three age-ranges of young, middle-aged and old.
Thus, one HoD is young with less than 29 years old (≤ 29 = 1), while another is middle
aged (30-49 years). The remaining two HoDs are in the old age-range of ≥50 years
(≥50 = 2).

Age-range of HoDs

≤ 29 30-49 ≥ 50

Figure 13: Age profile of participating HoDs

The age profile of HoDs is more or less similar to that of school principals (See Figure
9). Two male HoDs are towards the retirement age of 60, while the female HoD is in
the middle age range. The young inexperienced female HoD has an added advantage
of learning from the experienced male HoDs on how quality education can be
enhanced in schools in the Zambezi region. Hence, the use of self-assessment
strategies can help the HoDs share their expertise with one another to improve the
quality of education in schools.

5.2.2.3 Highest academic qualifications of participating HoDs

Figure 14 illustrates the highest academic qualifications of participating HoDs. All the
participating HoDs are in possession of a teaching qualification. The highest
educational qualification of the HoDs who participated in the focus group interview is a
Bachelor of Education Honours degree. The lowest educational qualification is an
Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) that was offered to teachers prior to the

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independence era of Namibia. Teachers with the highest academic qualifications of
ACE are classified as G12 plus two years of tertiary education and are professionally
under-qualified.

Professional qualifications of HoDs

Professionally qualified Professionallly under-qualified

Figure 14: Professional qualifications of HoDs

Two heads of departments are in possession of the Basic Education Teacher Diploma
(BETD) that was offered after the independence of Namibia by the former Colleges of
Education. After the merger of former colleges of education with the University of
Namibia in 2011, the BETD programme was phased out and replaced with a Bachelor
of Education Honours degree. The participating HoDs possess minimum teacher
professional qualifications that are necessary to help improve the quality of education
in schools in the Zambezi region.

5.2.2.4 Experience of HoDs

Figure 15 illustrates the participating HoDs’ teaching experience and years of

experience in their designated positions as heads of departments. The total number of
years of teaching experience ranges from 14 to 38 years. The average years of
teaching experience among the HoDs is 28 years. The heads of departments have
vast years of teaching experience compared to the median years of 5 years, thereby,
making them eligible to effectively support teachers and school principals in improving
the quality of education in the Zambezi region by using the self-assessment strategies.

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 Experience of HoDs

Years of experience
38
40 33
35 27
30
25
20 14
15 5 5 5 5
10
5
0
HoD1 HoD2 HoD3 HoD4
Years of Teaching
38 33 14 27
Experience
Years of HoD Experience 5 5 5 5
HoDs

Years of Teaching Experience Years of HoD Experience

Figure 15: Experience of HoDs

In general, as expected, all the four HoDs have more years of teaching experience
than the years of experience as heads of departments. The HoDs’ average years of 5-
years of experience are adequate for the HoDs to provide reliable data on how self-
assessment strategies can be employed in schools to enhance quality education in the
Zambezi region.

The school principals and HoDs provided valuable demographic data that was
essential for this sequential explorative mixed method study. Thus, the data provided
by the two cohorts of interviewees is based on their experience as teachers and school
managers in addition to their academic qualifications. Data gathered during the first
phase of the study was consequently used to inform the design of the Likert-scale
questionnaire (See Appendix E) for teachers in the second phase of the study.
Therefore, it was necessary that demographic data of the informants (school principals
and HoDs) be established prior to the data collection exercise.

5.3 PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN GENERAL

This sub-section presents a collection of raw data from the participating school
principals and heads of departments. The raw data was gathered during the first phase
of the study. Two research instruments: personal interviews (See Appendix C) and
focused group interview (See Appendix D) were used to capture the participants’
opinions on quality and quality education in general. Furthermore, the instruments
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helped collect valuable data on the recourses available to support the use of self-
assessment strategies in the Zambezi region.

Five school principals (SP), denoted by: SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4, and SP5, participated
in individual face-to-face interviews while four heads of departments (HoDs)
participated in a focus group interview during the study were denoted as FGI. Face-to-
face interviews with school principals were conducted first, followed by a focus group
interview with the HoDs. Both interviews were conducted during school holidays to
avoid disrupting school activities. The following sub-sections present the findings of
the school principals and HoDs’ general perceptions of quality and quality education
and the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region.

The discussion will be done according to each of the four sub-problems phrased in
Chapter one, (cf. par 1.4), namely:

 What entails quality and quality education?

 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality

education in general terms?
 What resources are available to ensure that quality education is realised
by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region?
 How can a self-assessment strategy model be developed to enhance the
quality of education in the Zambezi region?

5.3.1 The school principals’ and HoDs’ perceptions of quality and quality
education in general

Participating school principals and HoDs gave different meanings of the notions of
quality and quality education. It is worth noting from the onset that both school
principals and the HoDs’ perceptions of quality were based on their educational
backgrounds as teachers, HoDs and school principals. The question read as follows:
How do you perceive quality and quality education?

The following patterns of perceptions were drawn from the school principals’ and HoDs’
perception of quality and quality education: ‘Productive work’; ‘Examinations results’;
‘Lifelong learning’; ‘Durability of products and services’; ‘Fitness’ and ‘Relevancy’.

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 5.3.1.1 Productive work

Two school principals perceive quality as something that constitutes ‘productive work’.
According to Respondent SP1, ‘more productive work by teachers yields quality
products or services’ (SP1, lines 1 - 2); while Respondent SP2 viewed quality as, ‘the
amount of work done by staff in a school that determines the output of quality products,
namely learners’ (SP2 lines 1-2).

5.3.1.2 Examination results

Respondents SP1 and SP3 perceive quality in terms of ‘good examination results’.
Thus: ‘the higher the pass rates, the higher the quality’ (SP1 line 2). Similarly,
Respondent SP3 perceives quality as ‘when learners are able to pass whatever
examination has been set to them’ (SP3 lines 1 - 2). The participating heads of
departments (HoDs) concurred with school principals in perceiving quality as good
examination results. The HoDs understand quality as ‘a type of education that yields
good results’ (FGI line 1).

5.3.1.3 Lifelong learning

Respondent SP4 viewed quality as ‘lifelong learning’ (SP4 line 26), and that, ‘quality is
a way of improving one’s lifestyle throughout one’s life’ (SP4 lines 27 - 28). The HoDs
agreed that quality is a lifelong process. One HoD summed it up as follows:

Okay! I will add on to say that quality means you are preparing a child to fit in
everyday life. Meaning a child will be developed, they will have their own self-
esteem, they can stand on their own and they can do things bearing in mind that
they are having their own mind-sets. They can fit in any way for the betterment of
the country or for the future development of the country (FGI lines 7 - 10).

5.3.1.4 Durability of products and services

Respondent SP4 perceives quality as ‘durability’ of services to the customers. Thus,

‘quality is something that is durable which enables one to continually grow to certain
levels or stages’ (SP4 lines 26 - 27). Respondent SP5 views quality as usable goods:
‘customers like products that last longer and that can be used over and over again’

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(SP5 line 31). In addition, Respondent SP5 said, ‘the longer the products or services
those customers receive, the better the quality of products or services provided’ (SP5
lines 31 - 35). The HoDs concurred with Respondent SP5 by perceiving quality as
‘information or something that is good and that is usable in future’ (FGI lines 4, 6 and
19).

5.3.1.5 Fitness

The HoDs perceive quality as ‘fitness’ to societal needs. Quality is viewed as an

education system that produces learners who are able to contribute meaningfully to
the economic development of a country. According to one HoD, ‘quality means that a
child can fit in any way for the betterment of the country or for the future development
of the country’ (FGI lines 9 - 10). Quality in education is perceived as learner
preparedness to fit into society.

5.3.1.6 Relevancy

The HoDs were further probed on their perceptions with regard to the relevance of
quality education in the Zambezi region as follows: Do you think the concept of
quality is relevant to the education system in the Zambezi region? If so, why?

All the heads of departments responded in affirmative. One HoD summarised the
answer to the question to which all agreed to as follows:

Quality is relevant. Even customers in shops when they go to buy things, they
look for quality commodities. So, we as service providers, when we provide
services, we must make sure that we provide quality services (FGI lines 21 -
22).

The participating school principals and the HoDs perceive quality differently.
Furthermore, their definitions of quality are defined in an educational context and not
‘quality’ as a standalone notion. However, as Green (1994:17) puts it, ‘there is no single
definition of quality that is right to the exclusion of all others’. UNAM (2015) perceives
quality as a relative and multi-dimensional concept in education because it is defined
differently by different stakeholders or constituencies based on their values, interests,

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perspectives and priorities. The notion of quality can mean different things to different
people as it is a complex phenomenon.

However, all the definitions offered by the participating school principals and heads of
departments have a central and an inherent feature of enhancement. Collins (2011)
and Oxford (2010) define enhancement as increasing or improving the quality or value
of something In this particular case, school principals and HoDs perceive quality as
improving an education system by increasing: high examination results; effective
teaching and learning work; life-long learning; and providing “total” education to the
learner.

5.3.2 The school principals’ and HoDs’ perceptions of quality and quality
education in the Zambezi region

The school principals and HoDs’ perceptions of quality and quality education in the
Zambezi region are manifold and can be put according to the following patterns:

‘Teacher effectiveness’; ‘Acquisition of basic competencies’; ‘Learning

outcomes’; ‘Good examination results’; ‘Learner prosperity’; ‘An education
system that produces educated citizens’; ‘Deployment of professionally
qualified teachers in schools’; ‘Quality lessons and assessments’; ‘Provision of
adequate teaching and learning materials’; ‘Relevance of syllabus to societal
needs’; ‘Developing children’s potential to the fullest’; ‘Holistic approach to life-
long learning’; ‘An education system that prepares people for life’; ‘An education
system that equips our people with skills’; and, ‘an education system that
produces leaders and many other professionals’.

5.3.2.1 Teacher effectiveness

The five school principals linked ‘teacher effectiveness’ to quality education.

Respondent SP3 perceives quality education as a system that has ‘qualified teachers
who are able to deliver quality lessons and assessments to learners’ (SP3 line 8 - 9).
The participating school principals view teacher effectiveness as key to the realisation
of the quality output of teaching and learning processes in schools. Thus, teachers’
work ethos in terms of commitment, dedication, morale, skills and knowledge in
executing their core professional duties of effective teaching and learning determines
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quality education in schools. Participating school principals perceive quality education
as ‘teacher effectiveness’. Thus,

Not all teachers deployed at my school are professionally qualified. That is why
I encourage teachers to attend workshops at Cluster and Teacher’s Resource
Centres to become effective (SP2 lines 3 - 5).

I also encourage my teachers to pursue further studies to become professionally

qualified teachers in order to be effective in teaching (SP4 lines 9 - 10).

The deployment of professionally qualified teachers in schools is regarded as an

indicator for quality education. Teachers who are well trained in content and
pedagogical knowledge and skills are effective and have great potential to contribute
immensely to quality education.

Similarly, HoDs agreed that quality education was much dependent on ‘teacher
effectiveness’. Teachers who are well trained during pre-service and in-service training
are seen to have potential to use their skills and pedagogical knowledge for the
betterment of the learners in schools. This is in line with the findings of Ogboro and
Nwadiani (2017) that the deployment and utilisation of professionally qualified teachers
determine the internal efficiency of the school. Teachers, therefore, are regarded as
the main contributors of quality education enhancement in the Zambezi region.

5.3.2.2 Learning outcomes

The participants regard learner outcomes as constituting quality education. This is

summed up in one HoD’s remarks that: ‘when our learners complete school and
articulate to next higher levels of education, then, we talk of quality education’ (FGI
lines 43 – 44). Thus, schools that have learners who meet the minimum requirements
for entry into the next higher levels of education are regarded as providing quality
education. Respondent SP4 puts it as follows: ‘schools that enable learners to master
basic competencies as prescribed in the basic curriculum offer quality education’ (SP2,
lines 25 - 26). HoDs and school principals perceive quality education as the processes
of acquiring basic competencies by learners which enables them to articulate to higher
levels of learning through literacy, reading and numeracy. This was summed up by
HoDs as follows:
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 If our children are able to read, write and do numeracy, then we have quality
education (FGI line 40). You should go outside and find out how many are able
to read in the Zambezi region. Maybe it will be a few out of a thousand. To me
that’s not quality education (FGI lines 347 - 349)

5.3.2.3 High examination pass rates

Participating school principals perceive quality education in terms of high examination

pass rates. According to Respondent SP2:

Schools that produce high examination pass rates are seen in the eyes of the
public as offering quality education. If you want your school to be on the map,
just produce good examinations results, especially in external examinations?
(SP2 lines 13 - 16).

Schools that produce high pass rates in the national examinations are regarded as
quality education providers.

5.3.2.4 Learner prosperity

Participating school principals generally define quality education as ‘learner prosperity’.

Respondent SP5 perceives quality education as ‘an educational system that prepares
or equips people with skills that will help to produce leaders and many other
professionals’ (SP5 lines 33 - 35). Professionals such as engineers and doctors are
seen to be products of an education system that offers quality education.

5.3.2.5 Educated citizens

Participating school principals generally define quality education as responsible

citizens: Thus, ‘quality education is an education system that produces educated
citizens as mentioned in Vision 2030’ (SP5 lines 9 – 10).

5.3.2.6 Quality lessons and assessments

Participating HoDs further perceive quality education as congruent to teacher

effectiveness in lesson planning, presentations and learner assessments. One HoD
wrapped it up as follows:

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 I have the mandate to check over the written work of the learners, to check over
the lesson preparation for the teacher. And as I am checking over, I usually ask
my teachers … please when you hand over your preparation file, please
handover your syllabus as well, so that I look at what was the basic competency,
and what were the stages for the lesson. Was it relevant to the basic
competencies that are being addressed? And what was the homework given or
the classwork given? Is it relevant to the basic competencies? (FGI lines 76 –
81).

5.3.2.7 Provision of adequate teaching and learning materials

Participating school principals linked quality education to the availability of ‘adequate

teaching and learning facilities’ in schools. According to Respondent SP2, ‘my school
is in a flood-prone area and doesn’t have enough resources. So, my teachers find it
difficult to improvise teaching and learning materials from the immediate environment
during the annual floods’ (SP2 lines 5 - 6).

The HoDs further linked the ‘provision of resources’ (i.e. physical, financial and human)
in schools as an attribute of quality education. Thus,

If we use the right resources, and we use the right documents, like for example,
if we are using the right syllabi, where we get the basic competencies which we
are supposed to teach our learners, then we can achieve quality education (FGI
lines 29 – 31).

Schools that have physical facilities, such as classrooms, laboratories and libraries that
are stocked with relevant teaching materials are seen as schools that offer quality
education.

5.3.2.8 Relevance to societal needs

Participating school principals perceive quality education as being relevant to the

needs of society and industry. According to Respondent SP2:

For me, quality education in the Zambezi region can only be attained when our
youngsters meet the needs of our stakeholders in our local communities. Every

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 society needs to continually survive, so our education system should give
learners quality education for this region to compete with other regions (SP2
lines 7 – 12).

In general, participating HoDs agreed that quality education systems should ‘fit the
purpose’ of society’s needs. One HoD put it like this: ‘our schools should teach our
children so that they can be absorbed and be accepted by communities in and outside
school, otherwise, there will be chaos in our communities’ (FGI lines 40 – 43).

5.3.2.9 Child development

Participating school principals and HoDs view quality education as a child development
process. Respondent SP4 perceives quality education as, ‘an educational system that
develops children to achieve their full potential … in all spheres of life’ (SP4 lines 6 and
9). The participating HoDs regard quality education as inclined towards ‘child
development’ and supported one of their colleagues who said the following:

Our education system should lead to the developmental (sic) of the child as a
whole, whether the child is at home, or whether the child did not complete all
the grades, that child should still fit in society as a respectable and responsible
citizen of the country (FGI lines 35 to 37).

The participants view quality education as a holistic development process whereby

children are developed in totality: physically, spiritually, morally, emotionally, and
psychologically as emphasised by Respondent SP2 that, ‘learners in schools should
be taught to their fullest’ (SP2 line 2).

5.3.2.10 Life-long learning

Furthermore, the participants perceive quality education as ‘life-long learning’. Thus,

‘children and teachers at my school know that education does not end. We, as school
principals should serve as models in pursuing further studies so that we can improve
the good performance of our schools’ (SP2 lines 51 - 53).

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 5.3.2.11 Fitness of purpose

Heads of departments generally perceived quality as ‘fitness of purpose’. One HoD

agreed that:

Unlike our schools in the rural areas, schools in town have facilities such as
classrooms, laboratories, staff rooms, school fence, and many other things, that
in the long run, create an enabling environment for quality education to take
place in these schools (FGI lines 364 - 366).

The participants regard the school infrastructure as contributing towards creating an

enabling and supportive teaching and learning environment. Schools with modest
infrastructure are better positioned to enhance quality education in schools.

5.3.2.12 Teacher focus

The HoDs were further prompted to agree or disagree with the following statement: Do
you agree with the statement that ‘Quality is what customers say it is’? If, so,
why?

Yes, we agree with that one because customers don’t need faulty goods. If they
are not provided or given a proper service, they tarnish the image of the
business. Like in schools where we are working, some learners are moving from
their home schools to other schools because of low quality. They see the quality
at their school as of no use and then go to another school where learners are
able to pass, and progress to the next grade. So, it is equally the same to our
customers, when the goods of a particular shop are of faulty they will move to
the next shop, said one HoD.

One Hod said:

Yes, it is true, because we have even seen some parents approaching the
school to question: why is my child not able to read? What are you doing in the
school? But if they are satisfied, you will not see the parents coming. They will
agree to say, yes, my child is in this grade, and my child is able to do this and
that (FGI lines 260 – 269).

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 5.3.2.13 Conclusion

The school principals and HoDs gave different meanings of quality and quality
education in general. The interviewees defined the two notions by using different
quality features. However, ‘quality and quality education in general’ seemed to be more
problematic to define than ‘quality and quality education’ specifically to the Zambezi
region. This is exemplified by the number of quality tenets mentioned by the
interviewees. Thus, six (6) quality and quality education tenets were identified by
school principals and HoDs in general compared to eleven (11) quality and quality
education tenets specific to the Zambezi region.

However, it is worth mentioning that most of the quality features advanced by the
interviewees in general and specific to the Zambezi region are also regarded by
UNESCO (2005) and the World Bank (2012) as constituting key features of quality
education indicators. However, the notions of quality and quality education remain
transcendental among the interviewees as is evidenced by different meanings that the
participants advanced in the study. School principals’ and teachers’ perceptions are
varied and need to be synergised during the formulation of the schools’ visions,
missions and goals. This can help schools to realise quality education when the school
principals and teachers share a common understanding of what quality education
entails. In short, school principals and HoDs as school managers alone cannot
enhance quality education in schools. The realisation of quality education in schools
requires the involvement of teachers who are crucial in supporting quality assurance
mechanisms such as self-assessment strategies.

5.3.3 Links of self-assessment strategies to quality and quality education

5.3.3.1 Internal professional support

Self-assessment strategies are used by educational organisations including schools to

monitor and evaluate quality and quality education in general. In Namibia, the Ministry
of Education has put in place the Directorate for Program Quality Assurance (PQA)
with its sub-divisions at regional and national levels. PQA is mandated to assure the
quality of education in schools. Inspectors of education (from the inspectorate division)
and advisory teachers (from the advisory services) are expected to regularly visit and

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support school principals and teachers for quality assurance in schools. The study
interrogated interviewees on how often inspectors of education and advisory teachers
monitor and evaluate school principals and teachers during school visits. School
principals and teachers are required by the Ministry of Education to conduct self-
assessment at the school level. According to the Ministry of Education (2013:4), ‘the
internal evaluation by the school of its own work would normally provide the starting
point for the work of external evaluators’. The use of suitable self-assessment
strategies by school principals and teachers in schools can serve as a link to quality
and quality education enhancement in schools of the Zambezi region.

School principals and HoDs were asked to respond to how often inspectors of
education (IoEs) and advisory teachers (ATs) visited school principals and teachers to
monitor and evaluate quality education in schools. The participants’ views on the
external support in the use of self-assessment as a link to quality and quality education
in schools can be presented in three different categories: ‘external support’; ‘internal
support’ and ‘cluster support’.

5.3.3.2 External professional support

(i) Inspectors of education

All the five participating school principals generally agreed that inspectors of education
regularly visited their schools: ‘more than three times a term or trimester’ (SP1 line 62);
‘time and again’ (SP2 line 25); ‘termly, twice per term’ (SP3 line 81); and, ‘every month
to collect monthly reports’ (SP5 lines 36 - 37).

The participating HoDs generally concurred with the participating school principals that
the inspectors of education regularly visited their schools though they differed slightly
in terms of the frequency. One HoD said, ‘it is once’ (FGI line 297). Another HoD stated
that, ‘yes, that one, I think it’s random. I don’t even say it is even once, because you
may see even the inspector once after two years’ (FGI lines 301 – 302).

(ii) Advisory Teachers

Participating school principals responded that advisory teachers seldom visited their
schools. Respondent SP4 put it as follows:
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 That one has some challenges. I have seen lastly advisory teachers; anyway,
they were there last year towards the end of the term but very late. In fact, but
since I arrived at that school in 2004, I count less than 5 trips for advisory
teachers (SP4 119 – 122).

HoDs echoed similar sentiments pertaining to advisory teachers’ visits to schools.

According to one HoD:

The advisory teachers they just go just once in a year, once in a year, and
normally they will just go there and criticise instead of helping (FGI lines 299 -
300).

You may see the advisory teachers once after three years when you perform
badly (FGI line 302).

5.3.3.3 Cluster system

All participating school principals and the HoDs confirmed that the Zambezi region has
a cluster system in place. Some respondents indicated that the cluster system is
effective while others saw it as wanting. For example, Respondent SP1 regarded the
cluster system as effective:

Very much! We normally have cluster competitions that we conduct not only
academically but including these other non-subjects, like we have competitions
on science fairs, competitions … on culture (SP1 lines 69 – 73).

Respondent SP2 stated that, ‘Yes we do! We have a cluster system that is working.
But, there are some cluster centre hiccups in administering that is a problem’ (SP2 33
– 34). Respondent SP3 stated that some cluster centres lack basic facilities: ‘at my
cluster centre there is not even a cluster office or room for meetings’ (SP3 lines 95 –
96). Respondent SP4 regarded the cluster system as ‘a challenge that is being
aggravated by financial constraints that teachers incur while travelling from the school
to the cluster centre and back’ (SP4 lines 144 – 145).

On the contrary, one HoD vehemently stated that the cluster system is not effective in
enhancing quality education in schools:

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 The cluster system is not effective for the reason that nothing is going on.
Currently, I don’t know maybe I can say because it is lack of resources, or
maybe there is lack of someone to be in front, to call everyone for the activities
of the cluster or maybe it is already completely gone (FGI lines 229 - 230).

I will say that the issue of cluster system in our region is not working. I
transferred from one cluster to this one where I am. There are no meetings. You
don’t even know who is heading, and there is nothing that is happening (FGI
lines 234 - 236).

5.3.3.4 School strategic planning

School strategic planning is a prerequisite to quality and quality education in schools.

Schools that find time to plan short-, medium-, and long-term goals strategically can
achieve quality and quality education in schools. School strategic planning can be
guided by use of suitable self-assessment strategies that can help school principals
and teachers to realise their schools’ visions, missions and goals. This requires that
school principals and teachers occasionally meet to plan activities strategically that can
enhance quality education in schools. During planning meetings, school principals and
teachers can critically examine and reflect on their past experiences: strengths and
weaknesses in the light of schools’ missions, visions and goals. In this case, the
participating school principals were asked a question on how and why they formulate
their school’s mission, goals and vision.

All participating school principals concurred with the HoDs that they meet once every
October of each year as a ‘Ministerial policy’ requirement (SP4 line 18). When the
school principals and HoDs were further probed to explain the purposes of formulating
their schools’ missions, goals and visions annually, the following categories emerged:
‘Planning’ ‘Curriculum’ and ‘Exam Targets’.

(i) Planning

All participating principals stated that they usually meet in October of every year as a
ministerial requirement to redefine their mission. One school principal summed it up as
follows: ‘In October, we redefine the vision and mission and values of the school … to
know where we are, and we have to reflect where we were so that we better prepare
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for tomorrow’ (SP5 lines 11 – 13). Furthermore, self-assessment strategies can help
school principals and teachers to have shared school visions that are commonly known
and understood by the school staff.

(ii) Curriculum

Three school principals pointed out that the main reason why they meet once every
year as a school is to examine the ‘curriculum’. School principal SP5, extrapolated it
as follows:

Yeah, exactly, yes. Firstly, we are a government institution that is guided by

government policies; normally we follow the basic curriculum of the Ministry of
Education which we are supposed to implement fully (SP5 lines 15 - 18).

Self-assessment strategies aim to help school principals and teachers improve the
quality of education in schools by focusing on the learning outcomes of learners as
outlined in the curriculum.

(iii) Exam targets

All five participating school principals and the HoDs indicated that one of the main
purposes of meeting as schools in October of every year is to analyse the end of year
examination results and confirm whether projected targets were achieved. School
principal SP1 summed it up as follows: ‘We meet to set examination targets for learners
in all examinable subjects. Teachers retrospect learners’ performances in previous
year’s examinations and set targets for the following year’ (SP1 lines 17 – 19). Self-
assessment strategies can help school principals and teachers improve examination
results by exposing them to higher order thinking skills to critique their teaching
repertoire.

(iv) Teacher surveys

The participating school principals and HoDs were asked to explain how the needs of
teachers are taken into account by their respective schools in enhancing quality
education.

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The participating school principals responded by stating their experiences in terms of
challenges and strengths. Respondent SP1 stated that, ‘I try my utmost best to take
into account teachers’ needs but I’m experiencing difficulties because of lack of
classrooms and vandalism of school property’ (SP1 lines 25 - 27). The HoDs generally
identified their challenges as including ‘insufficient resources; and, lack of teaching and
learning materials’ (FGI line 366). School principals identified one strength of teacher
involvement in their every day-to-day activity. Another school principal stated that, ‘one
way of how the needs of teachers are taken into account is by analysing teacher
performance through subject meetings’ (SP4 lines 35-36). Another school principal
pointed out that, ‘teachers’ needs are taken into account by allocating subjects to
teachers according to their fields of specialisation’ (SP5 lines 53 – 54).

The participating school principals and HoDs were asked whether teacher satisfaction
surveys are conducted at their schools to identify teachers’ needs. The question asked
was: Are teachers’ needs regularly surveyed and acted upon by your office? If
yes, how often?

The participants attested in general that teachers’ needs are often determined during
the first week of each school term. According to the school principals: ‘It is done every
trimester, 1st week of management staff meetings’ (SP2 lines 19 - 20); ‘The first week
of each term where we come together with ... teachers teaching in Grade 10’ (SP4
lines 81-82).

Respondent SP1 elaborated as follows:

Teachers go through the HoD. They bring their concerns to the HoD. If the HoD
doesn’t have any solution, then the HoD will bring it to me for my attention that
I should address teachers’ problems. And then that is when I can intervene if
there is a failure from the HoD (SP1 lines 33 -36).

On the sub-question of how teachers’ needs are acted upon, Respondent SP2 said
that, ‘teachers’ needs are handled in an orderly manner. Teachers go through the
ladder of seniority to register their concerns’ (SP2 lines 21 – 22). This was
substantiated by three school principals who stated that the HoDs often identify
teachers' needs. According to the three school principals: ‘teachers go through the

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HoD to register their needs, the HoD brings it to me for my attention’ (SP4 100-103);
and, ‘teachers air the concerns through their senior teachers because I do not have an
HOD’ (SP2 lines 22-23).

The HoDs responded to the question above in the affirmative. According to one HoD,
‘class visits and one-on-one dialogue with teachers’ (FGI lines 77 and 89) are used as
platforms to identify teachers’ needs.

5.3.4 Availability of recourses for the use of self-assessment strategies to

ensure quality education in the Zambezi region

5.3.4.1 Teacher effectiveness

Teachers are perceived as the main recourse available to ensure that quality education
is enhanced in schools in the Zambezi region. Quality education can be linked to
teacher effectiveness in schools. Teachers who are efficient and effective in service
delivery can use self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education in schools
through teacher collegiality, awards’ programmes, motivation and competition and
avoid teacher reprimands for non-performance.

5.3.4.2 Teacher collegiality

The participating school principals and heads of departments were asked the following
question on teacher collegiality: Do teachers at your school prefer to work in teams
or in isolation? Explain.

In general, the respondents indicated that teachers seem to prefer to work in teams.
According to Respondent SP3:

It is only through team work that our goal can be realised. Because, eh, through
team work, teachers can plan together and they can exchange work. They can
plan to visit each other even if management is not involved just to share these
types of teaching strategies and other stuffs which will improve the teaching
profession (SP3 lines 153 – 158).

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According to Respondent SP2; some teachers prefer to work in isolation. According to
him/her, ‘some prefer to work in isolation but I encourage them to work in groups (SP2
lines’ 59 - 60).

The HoDs confirmed what the four school principals (SP1, SP3, SP4 and SP5) said
that teachers prefer to work in teams. One HoD, who was supported by all the
colleagues, reiterated as follows:

I don’t see my teachers or our teachers in our schools working in isolation.

Because, you can even sometimes, vividly see them consulting each other
when they are working on their preparations, or when they are preparing their
teaching aids. They even do peer coaching themselves (FGI lines 158 - 163).

However, one HoD mentioned that there are teachers who prefer to work in isolation
and that they need professional help. According to the HoD, ‘there are some teachers
who are so lonely, who are not cooperative. So, you have to do some activities. As
said by my colleagues that during lesson preparations, they come together and plan’
(FGI lines 181 - 183).

A follow-up question on teamwork was posed to school principals and HoDs as follows:
Do you think your teachers prefer to work more closely with their departmental
colleagues in their grade phases, (e.g. Lower Primary, Upper Primary, and Junior
Secondary) rather than working with teachers having the same fields of
specialisation? If so, why?

Generally, the HODs signalled that teachers prefer to work more closely with their
departmental colleagues in their grade phases, (e.g. Lower Primary, Upper Primary,
and Junior Secondary) rather than working with teachers in different phases having
the same fields of specialisation.

The school principals differed significantly on the question asked above. Respondent
SP2 in confirmation to Respondent SP1 said:

Teachers from Lower Primary to Upper Primary and Junior Secondary work
together according to their fields of specialisation. For instance in languages,

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 teachers work together from pre-primary to junior secondary. There is no limit
(SP 2 lines 65 – 67).

Additionally, Respondent SP3 confirmed that:

They team up according to their subject specialisations. So that this can assist
them with the challenges they are facing in terms of delivering the subject matter
(SP3 lines 205 - 207).

However, Respondent SP4 differed with Respondents SP2 and SP3. According to
Respondent SP4:

That’s a problem we have! I don’t know whether it is just for the school or other
schools. You find they create more phases that they are primary teachers we
can never be upper primary or junior secondary but the essence is teaching and
learning. The teacher at the lower primary has what it takes to assist someone
who is teaching at the upper levels. But, the situation at my school stands that
they want to remain at their respective phases (SP4 280 – 285).

Lastly, Respondent SP5 like SP1 took a middle stance between the two factions
mentioned above. According to Respondent SP5:

Yes! Yes! No! What I have seen … I think they use both. Yeah, there are times
when they engage their peers those ones with the same or similar specialisation
but there are times when they work as departments (SP5 lines 97 - 98).

5.3.4.3 Teacher awards

Participating school principals and heads of departments were asked to explain how
teachers are motivated to improve the quality of education in schools in the Zambezi
region. The question read: Do you award the best-performing teachers at your
school? How?

The five school principals responded in the affirmative that best-performing teachers
are bestowed with gifts and prizes for their outstanding achievements. The practice of
rewarding teachers is done at different levels of the education system in the Zambezi
region. According to Respondent SP1, ‘we have developed award ceremonies at
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different levels, i.e., at school, cluster, circuit, and regional levels’ (SP1 lines 175 –
176). Furthermore, Respondent SP3 said that, ‘best-performing teachers are awarded
letters of appreciation; letters of commendation and conferred with certificates of
recognition’ (SP3 lines 163 – 168). Respondent SP5 said, ‘we also award the best
performing teachers with small tokens of gifts, trophies and certificates’ (SP5 lines 87
– 88).

The HoDs generally agreed that best-performing teachers are awarded in many
different ways by schools and other education stakeholders. One HoD confirmed the
awarding practice as follows:

We really give praise to those who are doing the good work by giving them
certificates. Sometimes, even the community themselves they give them
tokens. They come to them and say we appreciate what you are doing at our
school (FGI lines 164 – 167)

5.3.4.4 Teacher competition

The participating school principals (Respondents SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4 and SP5) and
the HoDs were asked the following question on teacher competition: Do your teachers
compete against one another in producing good results? Yes/No. Elaborate.

The two groups of respondents responded affirmatively with the exception of

Respondent SP4 who responded negatively. Respondent SP4 justified his assertion
as follows:

For me if there was competition, we would see that when exams come out,
another teacher would surpass [best-performing teachers]. But for the past five
years, consistently, this teacher has been performing well without any
challenge, so if you see that situation, it shows there is no competition (SP4
lines 289 - 292).

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 5.3.4.5 Teacher motivation

Participating school principals and heads of departments were asked how they
motivated their teachers in producing good results. The respondents mentioned
various ways of how teachers are motivated:

We provide certificates at the school level for those who do well (SP1 lines 217
- 218).

I motivate them by comparing their learners’ results at school, cluster and circuit
levels (SP2 lines 68 - 69).

I normally motivate them by giving them examples of good performing teachers

(SP3 lines 208 - 209).

Yes. By giving them certificates (SP5 line 100).

The HoDs agreed that they motivate teachers during routine class visits and that they
discuss areas for improvement, whereby, they ‘focus on the good thing that the teacher
is doing. Show him or her, what is it that he or she needs to improve on and motivate
this person that you have not reached there, you can still improve’ (FGI lines 170 -
172). HoDs generally agreed that they motivate teachers by ‘praising’ them (FGI
line166).

5.3.4.6 Teacher reprimands

The participating school principals and HoDs were asked to mention how they
negatively sanction non-performing teachers: Do you reprimand the non-performing
teachers? If yes, how?

Participating HoDs were hesitant to state how non-performing teachers are

reprimanded in schools. However, one HoD voiced that, ‘reprimand is a very bad thing,
um; you have to tackle it tactfully. I start with the good thing that the teacher is doing.
Because it is not everything that this teacher is doing that is bad’ (FGI lines 168 – 170).

Respondent SP3 confirmed that they reprimand non-performing teachers in the

following manner: ‘if things are not improving, I will go to an extent of issuing warning,

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warning letters. Maybe I will start with a verbal warning and then warning written letter.
Yes, and I have already issued all these things that I am saying’ (SP 3 lines 190 – 193).

5.3.4.7 Decision-making

The participating school principals and HoDs were asked to state how they conduct
the decision-making processes at their schools to ensure quality education. All the
participants mentioned that decision making is participatory and consultative. The
school principals pointed out that they frequently consult teachers in decision making
processes on quality education matters. One HoDs said that, ‘the value of decision
making is to allow, or accommodate every teacher’s idea, so that, we don’t make
mistakes in future’ (FGI 149 -150). One HoD further stated that, ‘it is important for us
to allow every individual teacher to participate in decision making for the school to run
smoothly and for us to set the same goal’ (FGI 150 – 151). The HoDs further agreed
with one of their counterparts that, ‘the value of decision making, yah, it should be a
decision that holds water, something that is understood by everyone, and that they will
fully participate in implementing that decision’ (FGI lines 152 – 153).

5.3.4.8 Academic freedom

Academic freedom can be regarded as a critical recourse that can be used to explore
the use of self-assessment strategies to ensure quality education in schools. The
participating school principals and HoDs were asked a question on teachers’ academic
freedom and control of their continuous professional development as follows: Do
individual staff members have significant control over their own professional
development?

All participating school principals and the HoDs responded positively that individual
staff members have significant control over their own professional development. The
assertion was augmented as follows:

They do have control because many of them are studying in order to better their
qualifications (SP2 lines 49 – 50).

Yes! I will say yes. Though I cannot elaborate further (SP3 line 139).

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 Yes they do, they show that by paying for their studies. So it makes a significant
contribution towards their personal and professional development (SP4 lines
213 – 215).

Partly, I think! (SP5 line 72).

HoDs also concurred with the school principals that teachers are afforded significant
control over their continuous professional development. The trend of teachers pursuing
further studies featured again. Social media was also identified as one way of granting
teachers the liberty to network with their fellow colleagues. One HoD put it in the
following manner:

Yes, individual studies, that is one of them. And contacting maybe the … What
do you call this cell phone thing? Yes! The social media, they create contact
groups. They contact teachers in other schools on certain topics and so on (FGI
lines 191 - 193).

5.3.4.9 Continuous professional development (CPD)

Continuous professional development is another recourse that can bring about quality
education in schools. Through CPD activities, teachers can continuously improve their
teaching skills and knowledge. Thus, participating school principals were asked to
state their roles in supporting teachers in enhancing the quality of education in schools
in the Zambezi region. The main question and follow-up questions read as follows: Do
you encourage your teachers to engage in continuous professional
development activities? Can you give examples of continuous professional
development activities that your teachers are engaged in?

All participating school principals and HoDs confirmed that they encouraged their
teachers to engage in continuous professional development activities:

We normally engage them. The Ministry has provided us with that program with
the Teachers Resource Centre for them to be professionally developed (SP1
lines 105 - 106).

Yes! We do that again and again especially with young teachers (SP2 line 42).

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 Yes! Yes! I always do that! Teachers are upgrading their studies (SP3 line 131).

Yes! As I speak, I have more than two to three teachers who are studying just
to improve their qualifications (SP4 lines 197 – 198).

Yes! Like I mentioned earlier on, we have got a committee that is called
professional development continuous committee (SP5 lines 67 – 68).

Yes, individual studies, that is one of them. And contacting maybe the … what
do you call this cell phone thing? The social media, they contact groups they
contact one teacher in another school and what is that you are doing this topic
and so on (FGI 191 – 193).

At school level, like I said, that is the part that we give to the professional
continuous development committee which is headed by the HoD at the school,
which is coordinated by the cluster principal at the circuit level (SP4 lines 200 -
202).

Yes, like I mentioned earlier on, we have got a committee that is called
continuous professional development committee that … helps teachers on how
to use the syllabus (SP5 lines 69 – 71).

The participating school principals and HoDs cited the following as examples of
continuous professional development activities: ‘Workshops’, ‘Subject meetings’,
‘Upgrading of teacher qualifications’, ‘Mentoring and promotion of teachers’, and ‘CPD
committee meetings’.

The participating school principals and HoDs generated a wide range of recourses for
self-assessment strategies that can be used to enhance quality education in schools.
However, the recourses mentioned by the participants require careful planning by both
school principals and teachers. Well planned recourses as stated by the participants
have the potential to improve the quality of education by using self-assessment
strategies in schools in the Zambezi region.

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 5.3.5 The development of self-assessment strategy models to enhance the
quality of education in the Zambezi region

5.3.5.1 Roles of school principals in enhancing quality education

The school principals were asked to state whether they regard themselves as the only
role players in ensuring quality education enhancement in schools: Do you agree or
disagree with the following statement: School principals alone cannot
accomplish the realisation of quality education enhancement in a school without
the support of all its members? Explain.

All the school principals agreed with the statement that school principals alone could
not accomplish the realisation of quality education enhancement in a school without
the support of all its members as follows:

I agree. I’m not the teacher for the whole school ... And, I cannot work alone, as
an individual to bring good results without others being involved in (SP1 lines
253 - 256).

No ways. How I can work alone. I can only succeed by working with
stakeholders. So, I don’t buy the idea. School principals alone cannot
accomplish the realisation of quality education enhancement in a school without
the support of all school members (SP2 lines 73 - 74).

I agree! Because the school is a very complex entity whereby it involves a lot of
people: starting from learners, teachers themselves, support staff, the parents,
community and the regional office, also. So, a principal single-handedly, it will
be very difficult to run all these activities. Hence, there is a need for collaboration
with every staff member (SP3 lines 234 - 238).

Yes, I agree, the principal cannot. You need 90 to 95 per cent support from the
staff establishment because it is a diverse establishment. It has to be
approached in a proper manner (SP4 lines 304 – 306).

Respondent SP5 responded positively by saying, ‘Yes, I agree!’ (SP5 line 103), but
could not elaborate further.

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The participating HoDs were also asked the following questions on their roles in
enhancing quality education as follows: What role does educational quality play in
your current job? Who is the overseer of quality at your school?

The HoDs responded as follows:

Really! We are part and parcel; although there is a principal … We are talking
about the quality education. But the principal is the overseer, and the helping
hand is the HoD. So these two, they play an important role for the quality of
education. Yeah, why I am saying so is because, the head of department and
the principal, they are the people who are solely to class visit the teachers to
see whether a teacher they are following the basic competencies. Whether the
teacher is following this syllabus, this is quality education that we are talking
about (FGI lines 53 – 59).

Ok, let me add-on on that one. As HoDs, we are the ones who must make sure
that teaching and learning is taking place in schools. While the principal
oversees everything but the teaching and learning remains the HoDs’
responsibility to see to it that learners are taught and leaners are assessed, and
learners are doing the work in the classrooms. The purpose of quality education
is that learners should be able to read and write (FGI lines 60 – 63).

As the Head of Department, am even there to induct the novice teachers

whenever the teacher comes in a school I have to induct this teacher what is
the culture of the school? How do we work with the community? What are the
resources that we have? Because the teacher might be preparing the lessons
and saying I don’t have this teaching aid, while the teaching aid is in the school,
I induct the teacher, I tell the teacher, we have this. So, as a head of department,
I see myself as the steering wheel towards quality education (FGI lines 90 – 96).

As head of department, I have the mandate to check over the written work of
the learners, to check over the lesson preparation for the teacher. I usually ask
my teachers, please when you hand over your preparation file, please handover
as well your syllabus, so that I look at how, what was the basic competency,
and what were the stages for the lesson. Was it relevant to the basic

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 competencies that is being addressed and what was the homework given or the
classwork given; is it relevant to the basic competencies? (FGI lines 75 – 81).

There exist several self-assessment strategies models that can be developed to

enhance quality education in schools. In this study, the participants were asked to
identify self-assessment strategies that are familiar to them and also to justify the use
of chosen self-assessment strategies.

5.3.5.2 Exposition of self-assessment strategies

The school principals and HoDs were asked to state their personal opinions on the use
of self-assessment strategies in schools as follows: Are you using any of the self-
assessment strategies stated above (Survey, Guided assessment workshop,
Questionnaire, Reflection journal, Matrix, Award simulation, and Departmental
self-review modes)? Yes/No. Explain.

Four school principals answered “Yes”, and only one answered “No”. The departmental
review strategy was identified by Respondents SP1, SP2, SP4 and SP5 as being used
in schools as follows.

Yes. There is one for the department, where I will require the departmental head
to review the results within the department, and then a report will be written,
every member of the department should sign, to show that they contributed
towards the resolutions in it and problems they faced within the department. And
then from there, we normally have a reflection that we do termly or monthly, that
we reflect on the results. If, tests were given, home works were given, and class
works were given then we reflect on how learners performed and where
teachers need assistance and build on towards the end (SP1 lines 257 - 264).

Yes! I think the departmental self-review. Yeah, they produce a report and they
also do a result analysis that will help them to openly discuss the strengths and
weaknesses in their respective subjects. They come up with self-improvement
plan and is monitored by the HoDs and directly also my office (SP2 lines 75 -
80).

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 Yes, departmental. We only come up with a departmental self-improvement
plan in grade 10. This is where we use to meet in different subjects, to say, what
is it that needs to be done and for how long (SP4 307 - 309).

Yes! I think the departmental self-review. Yeah, they produce a report and they
also do a result analysis that will help them to openly discuss the strengths and
weaknesses in their respective subjects. They come up with self-improvement
plan and is monitored by the HoDs and directly also my office (SP5 104 – 108).

The school principals and HoDs were further asked to give their personal opinions on
self-assessment and quality education in general: Do you think that schools can use
self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education in the Zambezi region?
If yes, why?

All the school principals and HoDs made positive remarks on the values of self-
assessment in schools. Respondents SP3 and SP4 embraced the value of self-
assessment in schools as follows:

Yes! Yah! You see! Self-assessment, even as a person, if I just do my things,

left and right every day, without sitting down or maybe to reflect on what I have
achieved, you see, I will be living a life without a purpose. So, in the same vein,
a school as an institution, it is really very important that every term if possible,
schools sit down and make a reflection, assess itself. Just to see if the school
is at the right track in terms of achieving its overall goal in terms of also realising
its vision (SP3 lines 244 - 250).

Yah, it is important because we need not to wait for someone to come and tell
where you where you are and what you are supposed to do. So self-assessment
is very important, like the system has offered us an opportunity that there is a
self-assessment where we start with a teacher self-assessment. In the self-
assessment you would see where are you falling short as a school and to do
much better. So it is very important that a school does to self-assessment all
the time (SP4 lines 310 - 316).

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 5.3.5.3 Communication

Communication is pivotal to the successful implementation and development of self-

assessment strategies. The manner in which school principals communicate to
teachers determines how self-assessment strategies can enhance quality education in
schools. Participating school principals and HoDs were asked the following question
on communication: How often do you as a school principal/HoD communicate
with your teachers about their personal and professional needs?

The school principals and HoDs, in general, indicated that communication between
them and teachers is frequent. According to Respondents SP2 and SP3, ‘that is done
at all times because I have to do it during morning briefings though once a week’ (SP
2 lines 40 – 41). ‘It’s done on a daily basis’ (SP3 line 27). The HoDs also confirmed
that communication between teachers and the HoDs is regular and on-going.

5.3.5.4 Relationships

The relationship that exists between school principals and teachers is essential for the
successful development of self-assessment strategies in schools. Teachers who are
exposed to formal hierarchical relationships with school principals might be inhibited
from exploring suitable self-assessment strategies, unlike teachers who have collegial
relationships with their school principals. Participating school principals and HoDs were
asked to reflect on their relationships with teachers as follows: How do you regard
the relationship that exists between you and your staff? Is it that of supervisor
vs subordinate? Why?

The Respondents differed in their responses. Some regarded themselves as leaning

either to the ‘supervisory’ or ‘subordinate’ type of relationship. However, some fell in
between the two styles of leadership as detected by prevailing situations. Thus,
Respondents SP1, SP2 and SP3 advocated the ‘supervisory’ type of relationship, while
Respondents SP4 was in favour of the ‘subordinate’ type of relationship. Only
Respondent SP5 dismissed either type of relationship by describing his relationship
with teachers as that of collegiality. According to Respondent SP5, ‘we consider each
other as colleagues’ (SP5 lines 101 - 102).

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The HoDs, however, viewed the relationship that exists between school principals and
teachers as skewed towards the supervisory mode. According to one HoD, ‘most of
our principals are our supervisors, but, they understand us. If I have my own view, he
will listen to it, whether he takes it or leaves it’ (FGI lines 252 -253).

5.3.5.5 Leadership styles

Leadership styles that school principals use can enhance or inhibit the successful
development of selected self-assessment strategies in schools. School principals were
asked to state their preferred leadership styles at their respective schools. The
question read: What leadership style do you use as a school principal to motivate
your teachers? Why?

All the participating school principals indicated using mainly democratic and autocratic
leadership styles by alternating the two styles of leadership. Respondents SP1 and
SP2 indicated that the type of leadership style they use is dictated by the prevailing
situations and circumstances. According to Respondents SP1 and SP2:

That one depends on the situation and circumstances that come in. There is no
specific one that you can use. So, a situation will tell whether you become
autocratic because of the nature of the staff that you have. If they don’t comply,
unless you impose laws, that’s when they will comply (SP1 lines 166 -169);

There is no style that works properly. I use various leadership methods for you
cannot be democratic all the time, sometimes you dictate. So, I rely on using
various leadership styles (SP2 lines 56 – 58).

Respondents SP3, SP4 and SP5 indicated that they predominantly use the democratic
leadership style: ‘I normally use of course democracy or democratic type of style’ (SP3
144); ‘The style remains so complex. But normally the one we refer to as democratic
is the one which enjoys the most privilege’ (SP4 lines 226 – 227); and, ‘I am a
democratic person … I use the democratic leadership style’ (SP5 lines 83 - 84).

In the same vein, the participating HoDs were asked the following question: What
leadership style do you apply in your current leadership role?

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The HoDs corresponded with the school principals that they also use various
leadership styles depending on the situation. One HoD put is as follows:

I would fail the question if I say I’m using a democratic; I’m using autocratic; I’m
using laissez-faire only. The type of leadership that I use depends on the
situation that is prevailing. I will not wait to consult all teachers, when the
resolution is urgent, then I become autocratic. But, when I need the response
over a long period of time, then I use democratic, because I need to consult with
all staff members and hear what they are going to say. And laissez-faire, when
I ask them something, I need to hear what will be their inputs and use that for
implementation (FGI lines 98 – 104).

The HoDs’ leadership styles can be placed under the situational leadership style that
advocates that no single best type of leadership style exists (Khanfar, Aslami, Nguyen,
Noor & Kaifi, 2013). According to Matheri (2015:14), ‘effective leadership is determined
by the school principal; the staff under supervision; and the teaching and learning tasks
that are required to be completed’. School principals and HoDs’ leadership styles affect
teacher effectiveness in developing self-assessment strategies in schools. However,
Majoni (2015) found out that school principals who use autocratic and laissez-faire
styles of leadership had negative effects on school effectiveness and quality of
education.

5.3.6 Conclusion

Qualitative data was collected from two cohorts of school managers, namely, school
principals and heads of departments of five selected combined schools in the Zambezi
region. Personal interviews were conducted with school principals while HoDs
participated in a focus group interview. The two types of interviews aimed to collect
data based on the four-sub questions of the research as stated in Chapter one (cf. par.
1.4). The school principals and HoDs managed to provide valuable data on the four
sub-problems stated above despite different perceptions of quality and what quality
education in general entails. However, the findings from the first phase (qualitative) of
the study were used to inform the design of the second phase (quantitative) of the
sequential exploratory mixed method study. The patterns identified in (cf. par. 5.3.2)
were used to formulate themes for the second phase of the study.
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The next section presents an analysis of the quantitative data collected during the
second phase of the sequential exploratory mixed method study.

5.4 PART B: QUANTITATIVE DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

5.4.1 Demographic data of teachers

Fifty-four (54) teachers from the five educational circuits (cf. par. 1.8.2) in the Zambezi
region of Namibia participated in the second phase of the sequential exploratory mixed
methods study. A total of 70 Likert-scale questionnaires were given to the participating
school principals for distribution to teachers. The Likert-scale questionnaires consisted
of two sections: A - Biographical data, and B - Questions on quality and quality
education in general. The respondents were required to rate the 38 items on a 5-point
scale: 1 = Totally Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Not Sure; 4 = Agree; and, 5 = Totally
Agree. Teachers’ responses were entered on a data base. For data analysis purposes,
the Likert-scale variables were changed to binary variables: ‘Totally agree’ and ‘Agree’
responses were coded as one (1), denoted as ‘At least agree’. ‘Totally disagree’ and
‘Disagree’ responses were coded as two (2), denoted as “At least disagree”. The ‘Not
Sure’ responses were coded as three (3) while the ‘Missed items’ were denoted with a
Zero (0).

However, due to the low number of missing items (0), i.e. 12 missed cells out of 2052
teachers’ responses, they were re-grouped under code three (3) for ‘Not Sure’. In this
case, the missing values are very minimal to effect missing-values bias (Vaus, 2002).
The final reorganisation in the data analysis procedures was that of re-grouping codes
0, 2 and 3 into a single variable of ‘At least disagree’. The raw data was consequently
presented into two groups for easy analysis of “At least disagree’ and ‘At least agree’
against the independent variables of gender, age, teaching experience, grade phases,
professional qualifications and current studies. The quantitative data that was collected
during the second phase of the study was used to statistically confirm or refute the
qualitative findings of the first phase of the study.

The null and alternative hypotheses were used in this study. Creswell (2014:51)
defines a hypothesis as ‘a prediction about what the researcher expects the results to
show’. The first reason for formulating the hypotheses was to integrate the qualitative

151
interviews and the quantitative data on the perceptions of quality and quality education
in teaching and learning by teachers. The second reason for formulating the
hypotheses was to enable the researcher to predict the results of the study.

A null hypothesis is a statement that serves as a basis for argument but is yet to be
proven, while an alternative hypothesis is a statement of what a hypothesis test is set
up to establish (Prasad, Rao, & Rehani, 2001). The following hypotheses were
formulated in direct response to the four sub-problems of the study (cf. par. 1.4):

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the participants’ perception

that schools have a shared and common understanding of quality and quality
education (i.e. mean score).

Hₐ - There is a significant difference (p > 0.05) among the participants’ perception that
schools have a shared and common understanding of quality and quality
education (i.e. mean score).

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the participants’ belief that
internal professional support is adequate to improve the participants’
professionalism (i.e. mean score).

Hₐ - There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) among the participants’ belief that
internal professional support is adequate to improve the participants’
professionalism (i.e. mean score).

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the participants’ belief that
external professional support is adequate to improve the participants’
professionalism (i.e. mean score).

Hₐ - There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) among the participants’ belief that
external professional support is adequate to improve the participants’
professionalism (i.e. mean score).

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the participants perception

that teacher effectiveness is essential for quality education enhancement in
schools (i.e. mean score).

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Hₐ - There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the participants perception that
teacher effectiveness is essential for quality education enhancement in schools
(i.e. mean score).

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the participants’ perception

that the school principals play an important role in enhancing quality education in
schools (i.e. mean score).

Ha - There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the participants’ perception

that the school principals play an important role in enhancing quality education in
schools (i.e. mean score).

Hₒ - There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the participants’ perception

that schools allow teachers to explore more self-assessment strategies (i.e. mean
score).

Hₐ - There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the participants’ perception

that schools allow teachers to explore more self-assessment strategies (i.e. mean
score).

In this study, the null hypothesis was given special consideration to the alternative
hypothesis. This is due to the fact that the null hypothesis relates to the statements
being tested on quality and quality education, whereas, the alternative hypothesis
relates to the statement to be accepted if/when the null hypothesis is rejected (Prasad,
Rao, & Rehani, 2001).

The researcher initially requested the participating school principals during the first
phase of the study to help distribute the information letters, consent forms and Likert-
scale questionnaires to teachers. The researcher had no direct relationship with the
respondent teachers as the Likert-scale questionnaires were handed over to the
participating school principals in their respective offices. The completed Likert-scale
questionnaires were returned by the school principals in sealed envelopes after two
weeks as was agreed upon. Out of 70 Likert-scale questionnaires, 54 were completed
and submitted to the researcher by school principals culminating in a 77% response-
rate which is acceptable by research standards. IBM SPSS.19 and Microsoft Excel
programmes were used to yield descriptive statistics on the data gathered during the
153
quantitative phase. The following sections present descriptive statistics of the findings
in the second phase (quantitative) of this sequential exploratory mixed research study.

5.4.1.1 Gender of participating teachers

Figure 16 depicts the gender of participating teachers. Of the 54 respondents, 29 (54%)

were female and 25 (46%) male. The total number of teachers in the Zambezi region
is 1 578 of which 916 (58%) are female, and 662 (42%) are male (Ministry of Education
2016:1).

Gender

46%
Male
54%
Female

Figure 16: Gender distribution of participating teachers

Coincidentally, the gender proportions of the participating respondents are very similar
to those of the entire population of teachers in Zambezi region in which 55% of
teachers were female and 45% male in 2012 (Ministry of Education, 2012). In the
Fifteenth School Day Report of the Ministry of Education (2016), the number of female
teachers slightly increased to 916 (58%) and the number of male teachers decreased
to 662 (42%) in the Zambezi region (Ministry of Education, 2016). Thus, female
teachers slightly increased while the number of male teachers decreased during the
period 2012 to 2016.

5.4.1.2 Age-profile of teachers

Figure 17 illustrates the age of teachers in which teachers are divided into three age-
profiles: young (≤ 34 years), middle-aged (35-49 years) and old (≥50 years). Thus, 20
(37%) of teachers are young (≤ 34 years); while 10 (19%) of teachers are old (≥50
years) and are towards retirement from the teaching profession. The highest frequency

154
age-range which forms the majority of teachers is the middle age-range of teachers
aged between 35 to 49 years old, totalling 24 (44%) of teachers.

Age of teachers
24
Number of Teachers 25
20
20

15
10
10

0
≤ 34 35-49 ≥ 50

Age-range of teachers (years)

Figure 17: Age-profile of teachers

In general, most teachers are middle-aged and thus have ample time in their teaching
careers to explore various effective self-assessment teaching strategies that could
enhance quality education in the Zambezi region.

5.4.1.3 Relationship between gender and grade phases

Figure 18 shows that lower and junior primary phases are staffed mainly by female
teachers 20 (71%) against 8 (29%) male teachers; while the upper primary and junior
secondary phases are dominated by male teachers 17 (65%) as compared to 9 (35%)
female teachers. The current status of teacher deployment to the lower and senior
phases by gender could be based on teacher qualifications.

155
 Gender of teachers in grade phases
11 11
12 9
10

Number of teachers
8 5 6 5
6 3 4
4
2
0
Primary Primary
Junior Junior
Lower Upper
Primary Secondary
Male 3 5 6 11
Female 11 9 4 5
Grade phases

Male Female

Figure 18: Gender of teachers according to grade phases

Probably, more female teachers have lower qualifications which makes them to be
assigned to the lower grades. Possibly, if both female and male teachers have similar
qualifications, then it could mean that either the male teachers refuse to be assigned
to teach lower grades or that the principals who assign teachers to various teaching
grades are biased against female teachers. The disproportion of deployment by gender
of teachers to lower and senior phases of schools could suggest that the social status
of male teachers is still higher than their female counterparts teaching in the lower
phases of education (UNESCO, 2013). The use of the self-assessment strategies can
help clear the social misconception of according social status to teachers according to
grade phases by allowing teachers to teach across grade phases as per their
competence to enhance quality education in schools in the Zambezi region. Also,
efforts could be made to facilitate female teachers to acquire necessary qualifications
to teach in higher grade phases through continuous professional development.

5.4.1.4 Qualifications of teachers

Figure 19 depicts two distinct groups of teachers according to the highest educational
qualifications. Teachers who are regarded as professionally qualified should be in
possession of a recognised 3 or 4 year tertiary teaching qualfication on an NQF Level
6 or 7. The unqualified and professionally underqualified teachers, who are often
appointed on contract and in a temporary capacity, possess Grade 10 or 12
Certificates or equivalent; or Grade 10 or 12 Certificates or equivalent plus 1 or 2 years
156
of tertiary teachers’ training (GRN, 2018). Thus, 18 (33%) participating teachers are in
possession of Grade 10 and/or 12 Certificates or equivalent plus 1 or 2 years of tertiary
teachers’ training and are therefore clasified as un-qualified or under-qualified.

Professional qualifications of teachers

40 36
Number of teachers

35
30
25 18
20
15
10
5
0
Number of teachers
Professionally
18
under-qualified
Professionally
36
qualified

Figure 19: Professionally qualified and under-qualified teachers

The majority of teachers, 36 (67%), are in possession of BETD and/or B. Ed or B. Tech

Honours degrees and are classified as professionlly qualified teachers (GRN, 2018).

The introduction of universal primary education in the Zambezi region has led the
Ministry of Education to recruit unqualified and underqualifed teachers to teach lower
and junior primary education phases rather than to leave learners without teachers.
However, the question is whether teachers with Grade 10 or 12 Certificates without
any form of teacher training in education can really teach, and what level they would
be considered competent to teach? This study posits that the 36 (67%) professionally
qualified teachers could use self-assessment strategies to support un-qualified and
under-qualified teachers to improve the quality of education in the Zambezi region.

5.4.1.5 Years of teaching experience

Teachers are grouped into three groups of teaching experience: novice teachers (< 10
years), experienced teachers (11-24 years) and most experienced teachers (> 25
years). Figure 20 depicts the three groups of teachers with regard to their teaching
experience. Thus, more than half the number of teachers, 27 (50%), had <10 years of
teaching experience in sharp contrast with 11% for most experienced teachers with >
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25 years. 21 (39%) of the respondents have relative experience of teaching ranging
from 11 to 24 years of teaching experience. In general, the majority of the participating
teachers have vast years of teaching experience which can be shared with novice
teachers on how self-assessment strategies could be used to enhance quality
education in schools. This study advances the development and use of self-asessment
strategies by school principals to support novice teachers who are in the majority in
schools.

Teaching experience of teachers

≥25 years
14%

11-24 years ≤10 years

29% 57%

≤10 years 11-24 years ≥25 years

Figure 20: Years of teaching experience for teachers

5.4.1.6 Teachers pursuing further studies

Figure 21 shows that the majority of teachers 34 (63%) are currently pursuing further
studies in education. 29 (54%) teachers are studying for either a Diploma in Education
or a Bachelor of Education Honours degree. According to UNESCO (2013:26), ‘a
teacher with a three-year teaching qualification [BETD] will earn an annual base salary
of between N$ 88 152 and N$ 125 112, while a teacher with a four-year teaching
qualification [B. Ed Honors] will earn between N$ 129 354 and N$ 174 357’. However,
despite the monetary incentive offered by the Ministry of Education, one-third (33%) of
participating teachers are not studying currently. This study posits that the use of self-
assessment strategies could encourage teachers to continue studying despite having
qualifications that make them professionally qualified.

158
 Studies

Number of Teachers
17 18
20

15 12

10
3 2
5

0
Certificate Diploma in B Ed. Masters in None
of Education Honours Education
Education
Futher studies currently pursued

Figure 21: Number of teachers pursuing further studies

5.4.2 Conclusion

The aforementioned analysis in section 5.4.1 synthesised the demographic data of

teachers who participated in the second phase of the sequential exploratory mixed
methods study. The participants provided information that is useful in classifying and
categorising teachers according to the six independent variables: gender, grade
phases, age, professional qualifications, years of teaching experience, and pursuing
of further studies.

5.4.3 Reliability of data

Cronbach’s coefficient of reliability was used to test the reliability of the study data.
Cronbach’s alpha, calculated as shown in the formula below, provides a useful lower
bound on reliability.

𝑛 ∑𝑛𝑗=1 𝑣𝑎𝑟(𝑥𝑗 )
𝛼= (1 − )
𝑛−1 𝑣𝑎𝑟(𝑥0 )

Where: ∑𝑛𝑗=1 𝑣𝑎𝑟(𝑥𝑗 ) is the sum of individual variances and 𝑛 is the number of questions
and 𝑣𝑎𝑟(𝑥0 ) is the variance of all the entries.

Cronbach's alpha is a function of the number of items in a test, the average covariance
between item-pairs, and the variance of the total score. The reliability of test scores
159
can be expressed as the ratio of the true-score and total-score (error plus true score)
variances. Cronbach’s alpha will generally increase when the correlations between the
items increase. For this reason, the coefficient measures the internal consistency of
the test. Its maximum value is 1, and usually, its minimum is 0, although it can be
negative.

A commonly accepted rule of thumb is that an alpha of 0.6-0.7 indicates acceptable

reliability and 0.8 or higher indicates good reliability. Very high reliability (0.95 or higher)
is not necessarily desirable, as this indicates that some items may be entirely
redundant. The Cronbach’s α value for this study data is 0.849, indicating a good
reliability.

The Spearman-Brown prediction formula can also be used to test the reliability of our
data set. This prediction formula, is used to predict the reliability of a test after changing
the test length and is calculated using the formula below:

𝑛×𝑟
pr1=1+(𝑛−1)𝑟Where r is the reliability of the current "test".

The formula predicts the reliability of a new test composed by replicating the current
test n times (or, equivalently, creating a test with n parallel forms of the current
exam). Thus n = 2 implies doubling the exam length by adding items with the same
properties as those in the current exam. Values of n less than one may be used to
predict the effect of shortening a test.

By doubling our data (i.e. n=2), the pr1=0.918, indicating a high reliability of our study
data.
𝑛×𝑟
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛 − 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 = = 0.8834
1 + (𝑛 − 1)𝑟

This shows that the data collected was highly reliable as the Likert-scale questionnaire
has a reliability score of 0.8.

In statistical data analysis it is a standard practice that ‘missing’ and ‘unsure’ responses
are added to ‘disagree’ and ‘strongly disagree’ responses (cf. par. 5.7.1). The
assumption is that if the participants couldn’t decide whether they disagreed or agreed,
they definitely do not agree, otherwise agree or strongly agree would have been
160
chosen. Thus, the ‘undecided responses’ are regarded as similar to disagreeing with
the statements stated in the Likert-scale questionnaire (Mouton, 2015). In this
statistical analysis, the ‘missing’ and ‘unsure’ responses were added to the “disagree”
responses which consequently led to four categories of responses for statistical
analysis: Totally disagree, disagree, agree and totally agree. In certain instances, the
categories were further be reduced into two: “At least disagree” (i.e. disagree + totally
disagree + unsure + missing) and “At least agree” (i.e. agree + totally agree).

A Microsoft Excel inter-item correlation matrix was used to improve Cronbach’s alpha
in the grouped items. The items that lowered reliability to unacceptable level were
identified and removed from the correlation of thematic groups of items. Hence items
16, 20, 21, 22, 33, 34 and 35 were removed to improve Cronbach’s alpha.

5.5 PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN GENERAL

5.5.1 Perceptions of quality and quality education using independent

variables

The following sub-sub-sections present the respondents’ perceptions of quality and

quality education (cf. par.1.4) according to the six independent variables: gender,
age-profile, grade phases, qualifications, teaching experience and current studies.

5.5.1.1 Perceptions of quality according to gender of teachers

The responses summarised in Figure 22 indicates a very sound school organisational

behaviour with 21 (81%) male and 26 (90%) female respondents at least agreeing that
schools have a shared and common understanding of the term ‘quality’. 4 (16%) male
teachers and 3 (10%) female teachers at least disagreed that schools have a shared
and common understanding of the term ‘quality’.

161
 Schools have a shared and common understanding
of 'quality'
30 26
Number of teachers 25 21
20
15
10
4 3
5
0
Male Female
Gender of teachers
At least disagree At least agree

Figure 22: Schools have a shared and common understanding of 'quality'

Table 6: Extent of agreement or disagreement on quality by gender

Gender Totally Disagree Not Sure Agree Totally Total

Disagree Disagree
Male 1 (4%) 1 (4%) 2 (8%) 9 (36%) 12 (48%) 25 (46%)
Female 0 (0%) 1 (3.4%) 2 (6.9%) 12 (41.4%) 14 (48.3%) 29 (54%)
Total 1 (2%) 2 (3.7%) 4 (7.4%) 21 (38.9%) 26 (48.1%) 54 (100%)

A 2-way analysis of variance was conducted to test the null hypothesis below at α =
0.05:

Ho: Male and female teachers have similar understanding of the term quality.

Ha: Male and female teachers have dissimilar understanding of the term quality.

After conducting ANOVA on the data in Table 6 above, the p-value is 0.338 implying
that we cannot reject Ho and thus conclude that there is no significant difference
between male and female teachers understanding of the term ‘quality’.

The null hypothesis below was tested using a 2-way Anova.

Ho: There is no significant difference between the various Likert-scale

categories on the extent of agreement and disagreement with the statement.

162
 Ha: There is a difference between the various Likert-scale categories on the
extent of agreement and disagreement with the statement.

After conducting ANOVAdf1,4 on the Likert-scale items on the extent of agreement and
disagreement with the statement, the p-value is 0.00108 implying that there is a
significance difference between the various categories on the extent of agreement and
disagreement with the statement. This conclusion agrees with results in Table 6 in
which 87% of the respondents at least agreed with the statement that teachers
understood the term ‘quality’.

5.5.1.2 Perceptions of quality according to age-profiles of teachers

Figure 23 shows teachers’ perceptions according to age-profiles in which the majority

of teachers in each age-profile, i.e., 17 (85%) young teachers; 21 (87.5%) middle-aged
teachers and 9 (90%) old teachers at least agree with the statement that schools have
a shared and common understanding of the term ‘quality’.

Schools have a shared and common understanding

of 'quality'
25
Number of teachers

20
15
10
5
0
20-34 35-49 50-60
At least disagree 3 3 1
At least agree 17 21 9
Age profile of techers

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 23: Perception of teachers on understanding of quality by age-profile

Only a minority of teachers totalling 7 (13%) in the various age-profiles of teachers at

least disagreed with the statement that schools have a shared and common
understanding of the term ‘quality’.

163
 5.5.1.3 Perceptions of quality according to grade phases of teachers

Figure 24 depicts teachers’ perception of quality as a shared and common

phenomenon in schools according to grade phases of teachers. The majority of
teachers: 27 (96%) lower phase teachers and 20 (78%) senior phase teachers, at least
agreed with the statement that schools have a shared and common understanding of
quality.

Schools have a shared and common undertanding of

'quality'

30
25
Teachers

20
15 27 20
10
5 6
0 1
Lower phase Senior phase
At least agree 27 20
At least disagree 1 6
Grade phases

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 24: Perceptions of teachers according to grade phases

5.5.1.4 Perceptions of quality according to qualifications of teachers

Figure 25 shows the teachers’ perceptions according to qualifications on the statement

that schools have a shared and common understanding of the term ‘quality’. The
majority of both qualified and unqualified teachers, 94% and 72% respectively, believe
that schools have a shared and common understanding of the term ‘quality’.

164
 Schools have a shared and common
understanding of quality
40 34
30
Teachers
20 13
10 5
2
0
Professioinally underqualified Professionally qualified
Teacher qualifications

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 25: Teachers' views on 'quality' according to qualifications

5.5.1.5 Perceptions of quality according to teaching experience of teachers

Figure 26 depicts the difference in teachers’ perceptions of quality as a shared and

commonly understood concept with regard to their teaching experience. The teaching
experience was categorised as inexperienced (≤10 years), experienced (11-20 years)
and very experienced (≥21years). The majority of teachers in the three teaching
experience categories, 23 (85%) inexperienced teachers, 12 (86%) experienced
teachers and 12 (92%) very experienced teachers at least agree with the statement
that schools have a shared and common understanding of quality. Only a minority, 7
(13 %) of the teachers disagreed with the statement.

Schools have a shared and common

understanding of 'quality'
Number of teachers

30 23
20 12 12
10 4 2 1
0
≤10 11-20 years ≥21
Years of teaching experience

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 26: Teachers’ views on quality by teaching experience

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 5.5.1.6 Perceptions of quality according to teachers currently pursuing further
studies

Figure 27 shows teachers’ perceptions according to their current studies on the

statement that schools have a shared and common understanding of quality. The
majority of both underqualified and qualified teachers at least agree that schools have
a shared and common understanding of quality. Thus, all 3 (100%) professionally
underqualified and 27 (87%) professionally qualified teachers at least agreed with the
statement that schools have a shared and common understanding of quality.

Schools have a shared and common understanding

of quality
30 27
25
Teachers

20 16
15
10 4 4
3
5 0
0
Non-professional Professional
Not studying
qualifications qualifications
At least agree 3 27 16
At least disagree 0 4 4
Current studies

At least agree At least disagree

Figure 27: Teachers’ views on quality by current studies

5.5.2 Schools have a shared and common understanding of quality

education (QE)

Teachers’ perceptions of quality education as a shared and commonly understood

concept is discussed in the following sub-sections using the six independent variables:
gender, age, teaching experience, qualifications, grade phases and teachers currently
pursuing further studies.

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 5.5.2.1 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common
understanding of QE according to gender

Figure 28 illustrates how teachers’ perception of ‘quality education’ is shared and

understood by teachers according to gender. The majority of male and female
teachers, totalling 48 (89%), at least agreed that schools have a shared and common
understanding of QE. However, a minority of teachers at least disagreed with the
statement: 1 (2%) male teachers and 5 (9%) female teachers.

Schools have a shared and common understanding of QE

30
Frequency of teachers

24 24
25
20
15
10
5
5 1
0
Male Female
Gender

At least Disagree At least agree

Figure 28: Teachers’ views on quality according to gender

5.5.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common

understanding of QE according to age

Figure 29 shows that the majority of young (8, 80%), middle-aged (30, 88%) and old
(10, 100%) teachers at least agree with the statement that schools have a shared and
common understanding of quality education. However, a minority (4, 14%) of young
and middle-aged teachers disagreed with the statement.

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 Perception of QE according age
35 30

Number of teachers
30
25
20
15 10
10 8
4
5 2
0
0
20-29 30-49 50-60
At least disagree 2 4 0
At least agree 8 30 10
Age-profile of teachers (years)

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 29: Teachers’ views on quality according to age-profile

5.5.2.3 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common

understanding of ‘quality education’ (QE) according to grade phases

Figure 30 portrays perceptions of the statement that quality education is shared and
understood by teachers in schools according to grade phases. Thus, the majority of
teachers in both the lower (24, 86%) and senior (24, 92%) phases of combined schools
at least agreed with the statement. Only a small minority 6 and11 % of teachers in both
lower and senior phases, respectively, view schools as not having a shared and
common understanding of quality education.

Schools have a shared and common

understanding of QE
30
24 24
Number of teachers

25
20
15
10
4
5 2
0
Lower phase Senior phase
Grade phases

At least agree At least disagree

Figure 30: Teachers’ understading of QE according to grade phases

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 5.5.2.4 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common
understanding of QE according to professional qualifications

Figure 31 shows that 5 (9 %) of professionally and 1 (2 %) of professionally

underqualified teachers at least disagree with the statement that schools have a
shared and common understanding of quality education. However, the majority of
teachers in the lower (13, 72%) and senior (35, 97%) phases of combined schools at
least agreed with the statement that schools have a shared and common understand
of quality education.

Schools have a shared and common

understanding of QE
40 35
Number of teachers

30
20 13
10 5
1
0
Underqualified Quaified
Qualifications of teachers

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 31: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to qualifications

5.5.2.5 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common

understanding of QE according to years of teaching experience

Figure 32 shows that the majority of inexperienced teachers (22, 82%), experienced
(13, 93%) and very experienced (13, 100%) teachers generally agree with the
statement that schools have a shared and common understanding of quality education.
Only a small proportion - 6% and 15% - in the inexperienced and experienced
categories, respectively, at least disagreed with the statement that schools have a
shared and common understanding of quality of education.

169
 Schools have a shared and common
understanding of QE
30
22

Number of teachers
20 13 13
10 5
1
0
0-10 years 11-20 years 21-35 years
Years of expereince

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 32: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to teaching experience

5.5.2.6 Teachers’ perceptions of schools having a shared and common

understanding of QE according to current studies

Figure 33 shows that the majority of teachers, i.e. 2 (67%) in pursuit of unprofessional
teacher qualifications, 29 (94%) pursuing professionally teacher qualifications and 16
(80%) of teachers not studying at least agree that schools have a shared and common
understanding of quality education. The minority of teachers, i.e. 1 (33 %) teacher
pursuing professionally underqualified study programmes, 2 (6%) of teachers pursuing
further professional teacher qualifications and 4 (20%) of teachers not studying any
teacher professional qualifications disagreed with the statement that schools have a
shared and common understanding of quality education.

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 Schools have a shared and common uderstanding
of quality education
35 29
30
Teachers 25
20 16
15
10 4
5 1 2 2
0
Unqualified study Qualified study
Not studying
programs programs
At least disagree 1 2 4
At least agree 2 29 16
Current studies

At least disagree At least agree

Figure 33: Teachers’ perceptions on quality according to current studies

In general, the majority of teachers, for all the six independent variables (gender, age,
teaching experience, grade phases, professional qualifications and current studies), at
least agree with the statement that schools have a shared and common understanding
of quality education. A comparison of the perceptions between the teachers and school
principals including the HoDs with regard to quality education will be discussed in
Chapter six.

In the succeeding section (5.6), an item-correlation matrix is used to espouse the

average mean scores of teacher respondents to the following items: Teachers’
perception of quality and quality education as a shared and understood concept by
staff in schools; roles of school principals in ensuring quality education in schools;
external and internal professional support in schools; teacher effectiveness; and self-
assessment modes familiar to teachers.

5.6 FACTOR ANALYSIS

Babbie, (2010:491) defines factor analysis as ‘a complex algebraic method for

determining the general dimensions or factors that exist within a set of concrete
observations’. In this study, the researcher generated sets of variables that are highly
correlated with the four sub-problems of the study. This was done by examining the
patterns of correlations between variables (Vaus, 2002).

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 5.6.1 What entails quality and quality education?

The mean score of 4.37 in Table 7 below indicates that the respondents highly agreed
on the contribution of the study items regarding quality and quality education in
schools. The six quality assurance factors need to be taken into account when making
decisions on quality and quality education in schools. The mean score of 4.37 indicates
that 87% of the respondents at least agreed with the statements on quality and quality
education in schools. The null hypothesis on participants’ perception of quality and
quality education is rejected. It can be concluded that schools have a shared and
common understandings of quality and quality education albeit defined differently.

Table 78: Teachers’ perceptions on quality and quality education

Teachers’ perception of quality and quality education

Item Item description Mean Std. Cronbach's N

Deviation Alpha if
Item
Deleted
1 The school has a shared and 4.28 0.899 0.657 54
common understanding of the term:
“quality”.
2 The school has a shared and 4.59 0.687 0.685 54
common understanding of: “quality
education”
3 The school’s vision is developed 4.50 0.666 0.618 54
with the involvement of teachers.
4 The school’s vision is understood by 4.37 0.708 0.638 54
all staff members.
5 All teachers work towards realising 4.41 0.714 0.679 54
the school’s mission and vision.
6 The school has consistent values 4.07 0.821 0.663 54
and norms to inform decision-
making processes.
Overall 4.37 0.749 0.657

This finding supports the first principle of Deming (1988), which encourages school
principals to create constancy of purpose for continual improvement of services in
schools.The vision, mission and values to enhance quality education must be clear
and shared by all teachers in schools. This implies that school principals and teachers
should decide what self-assessment strategy they are pursuing and become
relentlessly good at the work this strategy implies (Murgatroyd and Morgan, 1993).
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 5.6.2 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality
education in general terms?

In light of the data in Table 8 below, the mean score of 3.24 indicates that the
respondents tended to regard internal professional support to teachers as insufficient.
The seven factor-items in Table 8 need redress to help teachers develop
professionally.

Table 9: Internal professional support

Internal professional support

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach' N
Deviation s Alpha if
Item
Deleted
26 The school is organised around the 3.52 1.285 0.755 54
needs of individual teachers.
27 Teachers’ needs are regularly 2.98 1.189 0.734 54
surveyed and acted on.
28 The cluster system is effective for 2.98 1.380 0.729 54
continuous professional development
activities.
29 Teachers attend continuous 2.89 1.449 0.741 54
professional development activities
each term at the cluster centres or
circuit offices or Teachers Resource
Centre (TRC).
30 Teachers are involved in the 3.11 1.254 0.701 54
identification of needs that are
addressed in the cluster or circuit-
based workshops.
31 Teachers’ needs are usually addressed 3.35 1.200 0.728 54
during cluster or circuit-based
workshops.
32 Quality education is defined by 3.83 0.795 0.805 54
teachers at your school.
Overall 3.24 1.222 0.742

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The high discrepancy of values between 2.89 and 3.83 suffice to indicate that the
seven factor-items need urgent attention to help teachers improve through continuous
professional development activities. The mean score of 3.24 indicates that 35.2% of
respondents at least disagreed with the statements, thereby registering their
dissatisfaction of lack of internal school-based professional support. The null
hypothesis is accepted that the participants’ belief that internal professional support is
adequate to improve the participants’ professionalism (i.e. mean score).

Deming’s sixth principle of using work-based training techniques such as self-

assessment strategies can help address teachers’ professional needs in the absence
of limited support from external professional experts.

The overall mean score of 3.03 (Table 9) indicates that the respondents tended to
disagree with the statements that external professional support is regularly provided to
teachers in schools. The mean score of 3.03 indicates that the respondents disagreed
with the statements that continuous professional support is adequately provided by
outside agencies. The null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between
the participants’ perception that teacher effectiveness is essential for quality education
enhancement in schools is rejected. Therefore, there is need to introduce school-
based professional support mechanisms such as self-assessment strategies to
improve teachers’ professionalism to enhance quality education in schools.

Table 10: External professional support

External professional support

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach's N

Deviation Alpha if Item
Deleted
23 Regional Office/External support 3.56 1.176 0.757 54
is sought for improvement of
teaching/learning.
24 Inspectors of education visit the 2.80 1.522 0.636 54
school once every month to help
the school improve.
25 Advisory teachers (ATs) often 2.74 1.469 0.611 54
visit the school once every term to
support teachers.
Overall 3.03 1.389 0.668

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This finding supports the SACMEQ III Report (Miranda et al., 2012:105) ‘that the
general visit to schools by professional staff for guidance and support has diminished
over the years, which might have a negative impact on education quality’. The third
principle of Deming (1988) encourages schools to cease dependency on inspection of
services. Schools must focus on school-based continuous professional development
activities such as the self-assessment strategies to improve the quality of education.

5.6.3 What recourses are available to ensure that quality education is

realised by the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi
region?

The overall mean score of 4.16 indicates that the respondents tend to regard teacher
effectiveness as a crucial recourse in improving the quality of education in schools
(Table 10 below). The mean score of 4.16 indicates that 83.2% of the respondents at
least agreed with the statement that teacher effectiveness plays an important role in
improving the quality of education in schools. The null hypothesis on teacher
effectiveness is rejected. It is safe to conclude that teacher effectiveness is crucial for
quality and quality education in schools.

This finding supports the conclusion by Muijs and Reynolds (2011) whose study
showed that teachers’ beliefs about teaching, their subject-knowledge and their self-
efficacy are essential for improving the quality of education in schools. Furthermore,
Deming’s thirteenth principle advocates for training and re-training of teachers to
improve teacher effectiveness which consequently could have a positive impact on
quality education in schools.

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 Table 11: Teacher effectiveness

Teacher effectiveness

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach's N

Deviation Alpha if Item
Deleted
11 Authority and responsibility is 4.13 1.065 0.606 54
delegated to teachers to
conduct professional
development activities.
12 There is competition among 4.33 0.991 0.511 54
teachers to produce good
results.
13 Teachers have significant 4.17 0.746 0.662 54
control over their own
continuous professional
development.
14 Teachers are motivated by 3.98 1.221 0.609 54
awards and prizes to work
harder.
15 Teachers are reprimanded for 4.04 1.149 0.608 54
poor examination results.
17 Teachers prefer to work more 4.31 0.987 0.607 54
closely with colleagues in their
departmental grade phases.
Overall 4.16 1.026 0.601

5.6.4 How can self-assessment strategy models be developed to enhance

the quality of education in the Zambezi region?

5.6.4.1 Roles of school principals

The overall mean score of 3.94 in Table 11 below indicates that the respondents tend
to regard the roles of school principals as essential in developing the self-assessment
strategies in the Zambezi region. The six factors of school principals’ roles are viewed
by the respondents as crucial in the development of self-assessment strategies that
can enhance quality education in schools. The ISO 9000 quality management
principles can be useful for school principals to use. The principles guide school
principals to effectively and efficiently manage teachers to improve the operations of
schools. For instance, the leadership and customers’ principles (cf. par. 2.2.4)
enunciate that school principals should harness teachers to focus on the continuous

176
improvement of teaching, learning and curriculum to meet and exceed the needs and
expectations of learners.

Table 12: Roles of school principals in ensuring quality education in schools

Roles of school principals in ensuring quality education

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach's N
Deviation Alpha if Item
Deleted
7 Leadership is widely distributed 3.72 1.204 0.668 54
among teachers.
8 Regular meetings are conducted 3.72 1.054 0.716 54
to discuss teachers’ needs.
9 School structures and processes 3.98 1.000 0.685 54
are team based.
10 The school has mechanisms to 4.39 0.811 0.714 54
avoid poor learner performance/
failure.
18 The school has a communication 4.11 1.003 0.686 54
system that is open to all
teachers.
19 The school uses both autocratic 3.74 1.247 0.717 54
and democratic styles of
leadership
Overall 3.94 1.053 0.698

The overall mean score of 3.94 indicates that 79% of the respondents at least agree
that school principals can play an important role in ensuring quality education in
schools.

However, regular meetings and leadership distribution among teachers need

improvement as both have lower mean scores of 3.72. The twelfth principle of Deming
(1988) encourages school principals to remove barriers that deprive teachers in
leadership of their right to pride in engaging in self-assessment activities. Additionally,

177
the eighth principle of Deming (1988) advocates that school principals should drive out
fear among teachers by improving communication with them. In other words, school
principals should not only supervise teachers but also provide support and advice for
teachers’ professional development in a conducive atmosphere (Miranda et al., 2012).

5.6.4.2 Development of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region

The mean score of 2.94 in Table 12 below indicates that the respondents are unfamiliar
with varied self-assessment modes that can be used to improve the quality of
education in schools. The respondents either disagreed, totally disagreed, not sure or
did not answer the question. This confirms that teacher self-evaluation (TSE) is
possibly the only mode of self-assessment that teachers are exposed to in schools.
This is confirmed by the Ministry of Education policy that requires teachers to conduct
teacher self-assessments annually before the 15th of October (Ministry of Education
2013). However, the thirteenth principle of Deming (1988) encourages education and
self-development of teachers. Therefore, school principals should encourage teachers
to use other self-assessment strategies and should not be confined to only one type of
teacher self-assessment.

Table 13: Modes of self-assessment strategies familiar to teachers

Development of self-assessment strategies

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach's N

Deviation Alpha if Item
Deleted
36 You are familiar with at least two 3.00 0.869 0.832 54
types of self-assessment strategies.
37 You are familiar with at least three 3.06 0.940 0.867 54
types of self-assessment strategies.
38 You are familiar with at least six or 2.76 1.080 0.893 54
more types of self-assessment
strategies.
Overall 2.94 0.963 0.864

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5.7 DISCUSSION OF ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE FACTOR ANALYSIS

5.7.1 Removed items to improve Cronbach’s alpha

Table 13 presents seven factor-items that contribute to quality enhancement in

schools through professional support (cf. par. 5.9) but were removed from
calculations of means in order to improve Cronbach’s alpha. One sample t-tests were
used to analyse the removed factors.

Table 14: Removed items to improve Cronbach’s alpha

Item Description Mean Std. Cronbach’s N

Deviation Alpha
16 Decision-making at the 3.67 1.212 0.647 54
school is fully
participative.
20 The school works to 4.44 0.634 0.736 54
achieve consistency of
examination results.
21 Monitoring and 4.54 0.794 0.729 54
evaluation tools (e.g.
class visits, classroom
observation, etc.) are
used to monitor
teachers’
performance.
22 Examination results 4.52 0.771 0.669 54
are used as a
measure of quality
standards.
33 The school allows 3.91 1.103 0.540 54
teachers to use
different self-
assessment
strategies to enhance
quality education.
34 The school uses only 2.26 1.169 0.822 54
one type of self-
assessment strategy
throughout the year.
35 The school uses more 3.20 0.979 0.414 54
than one type of self-
assessment strategy
throughout the year.

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 5.7.2 One Sample t-tests

One sample t-test was used to test the Likert-scale mean score values of items (Table
13) against an assumed mean value of 3. The one sample t-test was done to confirm
or reject the respondents’ opinions on the statements pertaining to quality education
in schools.

5.7.2.1 Decision-making at the school is fully participative (Item 16)

Using a one sample t-test, the Likert-scale mean score value of 3.67, was tested
against an assumed mean value of 3. There is a highly significant difference (t (54) =
6.635; df = 53, p=0.000) between the Likert-scale mean score and assumed mean
value of 3. In other words, the respondents affirmed that decision-making at the school
is fully participative. Teachers can take advantage of this opportunity to decide on the
most viable self-assessment strategies that best suit their personal and professional
needs.

The Likert-scale mean score of 4.44 indicates a high agreement with the statement. A
one sample t-test of this mean score against an assumed value of 3 was done. There
is a statistically significant difference (t (54) = 16.730; df =53, p = 0.000) between the
Likert-scale mean score and assumed mean value of 3. The majority of respondents
strongly agreed with this statement. In practice, schools are consistently urged to
improve the examination results. The best performing schools in examination results
are often praised and recognised by the regional education office and regional
government representatives including non-governmental organisations in the Zambezi
region.

5.7.2.2 The school works to achieve consistency of examination results (Item 20)

Also, the best performing teachers and school principals are all awarded certificates,
medals, trophies and monetary rewards from a minimum of five-hundred to five-
thousand Namibia dollars (Mushaukwa, 2017). However, the Minister of Education
cautions schools not to focus solely on improving examination results but also on the
outlook of education in general (Hanse-Himarwa, 2017).

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 5.7.2.3 Monitoring and evaluation (e.g. class visits, classroom observation, etc.)
tools are used to monitor teachers’ performance (Item 21)

A mean value of 4.54, which is close to total agreement was obtained for this
statement. A one sample t-test shows a statistically significant difference (t (53) =
14.223; p = 0.000) between the Likert-scale mean score and assumed mean value of
3. It can be concluded that monitoring and evaluation tools are used to monitor
teachers’ performance.

5.7.2.4 Examination results are used as a measure of quality standards (Item 22)

Schools that produce very good to excellent examination results are regarded as
quality schools in the Zambezi region (Mushaukwa, 2017). The respondents mean
score of 4.52 tends towards total agreement with the statement. A one sample t-test
shows a statistically significant difference (t (53) = 14.479; p = 0.000) between the Likert-
scale mean score and assumed mean value of 3. It can be concluded that examination
results are used to measure quality standards in the region.

5.7.2.5 The school allows teachers to use different self-assessment strategies to

enhance quality education (Item 33)

The mean score of 3.91 indicates that the respondents nearly agreed with the
statement that schools allow teachers to use different self-assessment strategies to
enhance quality education. A one sample t-test shows a statistically significant
difference (t (53) = 6.479043; p = 0.000) between the Likert-scale mean score and
assumed mean value of 3. These results point to the fact that schools allow teachers
to use different self-assessment strategies to enhance quality education. Teachers are
required by the Ministry of Education to conduct teacher self-assessment in October
every year (Ministry of Education, 2013b).

5.7.2.6 The school uses only one type of self-assessment strategy throughout the
year (Item 34)

The mean score of 2.26 indicates that the respondents generally disagreed with the
statement. A one sample t-test shows a statistically significant difference (t (53) = -
4.658; p = 0.000) between the Likert-scale mean score and assumed mean value of 3.
181
It can be concluded that the schools do not use only one type of self-assessment
strategy throughout the year. It is possible that the respondents distinguished between
the internal school self-evaluation and external school self-evaluation processes that
all state schools are expected to use. Consequently, this might have led the
respondents to perceive that schools do not use only one type of self-assessment. In
contrast, the literature review study shows that schools are subjected to one type of
self-assessment, namely, NSSE (Ministry of Education, 2013b).

5.7.2.7 The school uses more than one type of self-assessment strategy
throughout the year (Item 35)

The mean score of 3.20 is close to a neutral perception with regard to the statement.
A one sample t-test does not show a statistically significant difference (t (53) = 1.530;
p = 0.132) between the Likert-scale mean score and assumed mean value of 3. It can
be concluded that the schools are unsure as to whether they use more than one type
of self-assessment strategy throughout the year. It is possible that the respondents
were not sure whether to regard the use of internal and external school self-evaluations
in schools as constituting self-assessment strategies. In essence, internal and external
school evaluations are Ministerial initiatives to ensure quality assurance in all state
schools by use of performance indicators. Self-assessment strategies on the other
hand supplement the generic internal and external school self-evaluations of which
teacher self-assessment is a component. Hence, the respondents were not sure as to
whether schools use more than one type of self-assessment strategy in the light of the
internal and external school self-evaluations.

5.7.3 Conclusion

In conclusion, this sequential exploratory mixed methods study enabled the researcher
to collect qualitative data by means of personal and focus group interviews to explore
the perceptions of participants using a five-point Likert-scale. The qualitative data
presented verbatim was analysed to inform the second phase of the study
(quantitative) by focusing on the four sub-problems of the research (cf. par. 1.4). The
quantitative data was analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 data analysis programmes.
In general teachers agreed with certain tenets of quality and quality education in the
Zambezi region as advanced by the school principals and HoDs, thereby confirming
182
the findings collected during the first phase of the study, the qualitative phase.
However, differences of opinions also occurred where teachers disagreed with the
perceptions of either school principals or HoDs or both. The next part of the chapter
will triangulate data gathered during the two phases of this sequential explorative
mixed method design study.

5.8 PART C: TRIANGULATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

This section triangulates the findings of both qualitative and quantitative data gathered
during the first (qualitative) and second (quantitative) phases of this sequential
explorative mixed method study. The triangulation process aims to validate data based
on the four sub-problems stated in Chapter one.

5.8.1 Definitions of quality and quality education

The school principals and heads of departments had different connotations of quality
and quality education. The term ‘quality’ was vaguely defined by both groups of
interviewees who impulsively linked it to education and not as a stand-alone definition
(cf. par. 5.3.1). When they were asked to define quality education, various meanings
of quality education emerged which can be rightly regarded as features of quality
education rather than definitions (cf. par. 5.3.2). On the other hand, ≥85% of teachers
agreed that schools have a shared and common understanding of the term ‘quality’
(See Figures 22 to 27) and ≥90% of the teacher respondents agreed that schools have
a shared and common understanding of ‘quality education’ (See Figures 28 to 33).
This seems to imply that teachers regard the terms ‘quality’ and ‘quality education’ as
simple and unambiguous and they are therefore generally understood by teachers and
school principals.

A greater proportion of 87% of teacher respondents confirmed the school principals’

and HODs’ assertions that schools have a shared and common understanding of
school vision statements (See Table 7). Thus, the mean score of 4.50 in Table 7 (Item
3) indicates that (90%) of teachers agreed that vision statements are developed with
the involvement of teachers, 87% agreed that the vision and mission statements are
understood by all staff members, 88% agreed that all teachers work towards realising
the schools’ mission and vision, and 81% agreed that schools have consistent values

183
and norms to inform decision-making processes. This is in line with the recourse of
school-based management (SBM) system (Pomuti & Weber, 2012) which advocates
for the decentralisation and devolution of duties and responsibilities to school levels.
The goal of SBM is to increase school autonomy and decision making through the
involvement of teachers and other education stakeholders to improve the quality of
education in schools.

However, despite the general perception by school principals, HoDs and teachers that
schools develop strategic plans with visions and goals which are shared and commonly
understood by teachers and school principals, such visions and plans are not often
realised by some schools in the Zambezi region. Stakeholders, particularly parents, in
general, are dissatisfied with the quality of education in the Zambezi region due to
repeated poor annual examination results (See Chapter one). This predicament
requires that school principals and teachers should re-strategise their missions and
visions towards enhancing quality education in the Zambezi region to meet
stakeholders’ quality education expectations. As Lingman, Lingman, and Raghuwaiya
(2014:2119-2125) rightly put it:

Any education institution or system that fails to understate educational planning

in all seriousness, responding effectively to the manifold demands and rising
expectations of various stakeholders in current times, does so at its peril.

This is in line with Deming’s second principle that obliges schools to adopt new school
philosophies such as SBM. For example, the principle of school decentralisation can
empower teachers to initiate self-assessment strategies that are suitable to their own
contextual needs which consequently can enhance quality education in the Zambezi
region.

However, there are no universally agreed definitions of quality and quality education.
Mohammed and Haseena (2015) emphatically point out that quality and [quality
education] are difficult terms to define. According to Mohammed and Haseena,
(2015:100-105), ‘like freedom and justice, [quality and] quality in education can be
experienced, but cannot be defined’. The terms are multifaceted and understood
differently by education stakeholders.

184
Hence, Deming’s first principle of constancy of purpose is crucial in enhancing quality
education in schools. From the onset, teachers as key players of quality education
enhancement in schools should be actively engaged in defining quality and quality
education. School principals and teachers should have a shared and common
understanding of quality and quality education prior to the formulation of school mission
statements and visions. This will enable teachers and school principals to be
consistently aware of their roles in enhancing quality education in schools.

5.8.2 Perceptions of quality and quality education in the Zambezi region

5.8.2.1 Teacher focus

Although only two school principals identified ‘teachers’ as customers, the HoDs
generally perceived teachers as key customers of schools as they are directly involved
in defining quality education. The mean score of 3.83 in Table 8 (Item 32) shows that
77% of teacher respondents at least agreed that teachers as stakeholders are involved
in defining the notion of quality education in schools.

It is imperative that school principals take into cognisance teachers’ voices in defining
quality education. Teachers are key role players in ensuring that quality education is
realised in schools. Yemisi (2013:138-143) agrees that ‘teachers are very important to
the success of the school system in achieving its goals and objectives’. Similarly, the
findings in the UNESCO’s Report (2013:35) regard teachers as ‘the most critical factor
for improving the quality of education’. This implies that teachers’ needs and
expectations at school level should be identified and addressed adequately by school
principals. Once teachers’ needs are accomplished, teachers can significantly
enhance quality education in schools which can be reinforced by the use of self-
assessment strategies to support teachers’ needs and expectations.

5.8.2.2 Teachers’ needs

The participating school principals generally agreed that teachers’ needs are often
determined during the first week of each school term. Examples of teachers’ needs
included teaching and learning materials, and subject allocation according to fields of
specialisation. The HoDs confirmed the assertion that teachers’ needs are taken into
account during class visits and one-on-one dialogues with teachers. The mean score
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of 3.52 in Table 8 (Item 26) indicates that 70% of the teachers at least agreed that
schools are organised around the needs of individual teachers, while the mean score
of 2.98 indicates that 60% of the respondents at least agreed that regular meetings are
conducted to discuss teachers’ needs.

Teachers are central in ensuring that quality education is realised in schools (cf. par.
2.3.3.4). Therefore, teachers’ needs should be diligently satisfied by school principals.
In practice, school principals alone cannot identify and satisfy all teachers’ needs. It is,
therefore, necessary that teachers be afforded opportunities to identify their personal
and professional needs that can contribute to enhancing quality education in schools.
The use of self-assessment strategies can be of help to teachers who intend to critically
identify, analyse and prioritise needs for personal and professional development.

5.9 LINKS OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES TO QUALITY AND QUALITY

EDUCATION IN GENERAL

5.9.1 Professional support

The participating school principals and the HoDs generally agreed that the provision
of professional support at school level is adequate and that the inspectors of education
regularly visited their schools more frequently than their counterparts (advisory
teachers). However, some school principals and HoDs indicated that despite frequent
visits to schools by inspectors of education, very little professional support was given
to teachers except for collecting monthly reports from the school principals. The mean
score of 2.80 in Table 9 (Item 24) shows that 56% of the teacher respondents at least
agreed that inspectors of education visit schools every month, while 44% at least
disagreed. Furthermore, 55% of the respondents at least agreed that advisory teachers
visit schools, while 45% at least disagreed.

The Ministry of Education (2006) encourages teachers and school principals to explore
different ways of external assessment provision to develop their professional expertise
in line with Deming’s third principle for termination of dependence on supervision
[external support] to achieve quality education (Deming, 1988). However, due to
financial challenges, it is not possible for education officers (inspectors of education,
NIED staff and advisory teachers) to visit classes and have one-on-one discussions
with all teachers.
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Additionally, the process of monitoring and evaluating of teachers by school principals
and HoDs at the school level, though viable, can be daunting to teachers because the
element of supervision by an expert is still imminent. Teachers as professionals need
to be empowered to determine what is best for their professional development rather
than to rely on external support. As Bradley (1993:174) puts it, ‘quality comes not from
supervision, but from the improvement of the process [and], the old way of supervising
bad quality out must be replaced by the new way of building good quality in’. Teachers
can be empowered to employ selected self-assessment strategies rather than to rely
on external support to improve the quality education in the Zambezi region.

5.9.2 Cluster system

To supplement external teacher support mechanisms that are detached from real
learning environments, some schools resort to school cluster centres as an alternative
way of supporting teachers. According to Pomuti and Weber (2012:2), ‘school clusters
are authorised to manage school supervision and in-service training for school
managers and teachers in order to improve management … teaching, and learning,
[and] provide teacher support’.

The mean score of 2.98 in Table 8 (Item 28) shows that 60% of the teacher
respondents at least agreed that the cluster system is effective for continuous
professional development activities, while 40% at least disagreed that the cluster
system is effective for continuous professional development activities. Some school
principals and HODs are in agreement with the 40% of teachers who perceive the
cluster system as being ineffective due to poor infrastructural resources. Hence,
schools resort to internal school support rather than external support from education
officers to support teachers.

School cluster systems have potential to help teachers support one another in
providing quality education through ‘sharing resources, experiences, and expertise’
(Pomuti & Weber, 2012:1). Teachers can learn from teachers in the neighbouring
schools of how self-assessment strategies are implemented to enhance quality
education in the Zambezi schools. The choice of teacher support in neighbouring
schools ought to be based on the needs of teachers who are the key arbitrators of
quality enhancement. However, Deming’s fourth principle of cost effectiveness can
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only be sustained if schools develop long-term relationships of loyalty and trust with
one another to ensure quality education in schools (Deming, 1988).

5.10 AVAILABLE RECOURSES FOR USE OF SELF-ASSESSMENT

STRATEGIES IN THE ZAMBEZI REGION

5.10.1 Decision-making

Decision-making can be regarded as a valuable recourse that schools can explore in

improving the quality of education in schools. In general, the participating school
principals perceived decision making processes in schools as participatory and
consultative in nature. The HoDs also perceived decision-making processes as an
important way of engaging teachers to participate in the decision making processes to
achieve school goals. The mean score of 4.07 in Table 7 (Item 6) shows that 81% of
the teacher respondents at least agreed that teachers participate in decision making.

School principals do well by engaging and involving teachers in decision-making

processes in schools. This is in line with the findings of Lin (2014:50-58) that,

Schools that allow teacher participation in decision-making processes present

crucial information closest to the sources of problems of schooling and thereby
improving the quality of education in schools.

However, in real school settings, it is not possible for teachers to be engaged in all
decision making processes in schools as this might take up their valuable classroom
time. School principals, however, can use decision-making processes as recourse to
empower teachers to make decisions on suitable self-assessment strategies that can
help improve the quality of education in schools.

5.10.2 Academic freedom

The participating school principals and HoDs confirmed that they encourage their
teachers to engage in continuous professional activities. The following were cited as
examples of continuous professional development activities: ‘Workshops’, ‘Subject
meetings’, ‘Upgrading of teacher qualifications’, ‘Mentoring and promotion of teachers’,
and ‘CPD committee meetings’. The mean score of 4.17 in Table 10 (Item 13) shows

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that 83% at least agreed that teachers have significant control over their continuous
professional development while 17% at least disagreed.

Deming’s fifth and sixth principles advocate for constant improvement by instituting
training on the job. In an education context, this implies that teachers need to
continuously improve their skills and knowledge to be able to contribute meaningfully
to quality education enhancement. According to the British Council (2011:7),

CPD is a planned, continuous and lifelong process whereby teachers try to

develop their personal and professional qualities, and to improve their
knowledge, skills, and practice, leading to their empowerment, their
organizations and their pupils.

CPD is more than equipping teachers with anecdotal skills, such as, ‘training teachers
to handle a new textbook’ (British Council, 2011:7). CPD is a life-long learning process
which allows teachers to develop professionally. Thus, CPD should aim to redress the
immediate needs of teachers in real classroom situations to supplement formal
continuous professional development training programmes often administered by
external agencies, such as inspectors of education and advisory teachers. CPD can
be helpful to teachers who are engaged in using suitable self-assessment strategies
to enhance quality education in schools.

There exist several recourses that are available for use by school principals including
school strategic planning. This recourse of strategic planning provides school
principals and teachers with apt time to carefully plan suitable and relevant self-
assessment strategies that schools can employ to help improve the quality of
education in the Zambezi region. The HoDs concurred with the school principals that
schools often meet once every October of each year as per the Ministerial policy to
plan SDPs and PAAIs. School principals and HoDs also agreed that teachers are often
involved in the formulation process of school vision statements and goals. Therefore,
teachers share a common understanding of school vision statements at school levels.

5.10.3 Teacher effectiveness

The participating school principals and heads of departments were asked questions
on teacher efficacy (collegiality, teamwork, awards, competition and reprimand). The
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school principals concurred with HoDs who confirmed that teachers generally prefer to
work in teams. They further reiterated that teachers prefer to work more closely with
their departmental colleagues in their grade phases (e.g. Lower Primary, Upper
Primary, and Junior Secondary) rather than working with teachers having the same
fields of specialisation. However, the interviewees indicated that some teachers prefer
to work in isolation. The mean score of 4.31 in Table 10 (Item 17), shows that 86% of
the respondents at least agreed that teachers prefer to work more closely with
colleagues in their departmental grade phases while 14% of the teachers at least
disagreed.

The school principals differed significantly on the question of whether teachers

preferred to work with colleagues with similar fields of specialisation or departmental
colleagues. Some school principals stated that teachers are free to approach other
teachers regardless of grade phase or field of specialisation. This is in line with
Deming’s ninth principle which calls for school principals to eliminate the barriers
between departments in schools. Teachers need to be exposed to suitable self-
assessment strategies that can help them to focus on subject-specific or departmental
and learners’ needs. Self-assessment strategies allow teachers to perceive each other
as colleagues rather than rivalries. It is only then that teachers can work as a team with
the ultimate aim of improving the quality of education in schools.

5.10.3.1 Teacher awards

The school principals and HoDs affirmed that best-performing teachers are bestowed
with gifts and prizes for their outstanding achievements at different levels of the
education system in the Zambezi region. The assertion was confirmed by 80% of the
respondents who agreed that teachers are motivated by awards and prizes to work
harder as shown in Table 10 (Item 14).

In October every year, schools meet to review their school strategic management
plans. It is during this time that teachers set up their targets that will be used to measure
their performance the following year during October. Deming (1988) regards these
practices as forces of destruction. Oduwaiye et al. (2012:145) also caution that ‘setting
goals can lead to marginal performance; merit pay can destroy teamwork; and
appraisal of individual performance can nourish fear and increase variability in desired
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performance’. School principals can use self-assessment strategies that are self-
rewarding for personal and professional development. Self-assessment strategies
have great potential to help teachers to enhance quality education through
collaboration and not competition.

5.10.3.2 Teacher competition

The school principals and HoDs perceived that teacher competition is rife in schools.
A mean score of 4.33 in Table 10 (Item 12) shows that 87% of the respondents at least
agreed there is competition among teachers to produce good results while 13%
disagreed.

Teacher competition in schools is contrary to Deming’s tenth principle that advocates

for the elimination of slogans in organisations which ‘are based on the belief that people
could, if they tried, do better’ (Bradley 1993:184). The practice of competition creates
adversarial relationships among teachers who are competing against each other to
achieve national standards. Therefore, school principals should advocate for the use
of self-assessment strategies that have potential to change teachers’ mind-sets of
competition to that of teamwork to improve the quality of education in schools.

5.10.3.3 Teacher reprimand

The school principals accepted the use of negative sanctions to reprimand non-
performing teachers by issuing warning letters. The participating HoDs were hesitant
to state how non-performing teachers are reprimanded in schools but agreed that
teachers are reprimanded in schools. The mean score of 4.04 in Table 10 (Item 15)
shows that 81% of teachers at least agreed that teachers are reprimanded for
producing poor results at the end of the year. Oduwaiye et al. (2012:144) state that
‘fear creates an insurmountable barrier to improvement of any system’ and therefore,
teacher reprimands should be avoided to improve the quality of education in schools.

Juran and Gryna (1980) maintain the 85/15 rule that a minute fraction of 15 percent of
poor examination results can be linked to teachers’ efficacy, while a bigger fraction of
85 per cent can be attributed to schools’ system management inefficiency. Teachers
should not be scapegoats for the poor performance of learners in examinations. As
mentioned in Chapter one, all stakeholders are equally to blame for schools’ appalling
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examination results (cf. par. 1.2; 2.3.2.1). As a result, every stakeholder is expected to
reflect on how best they can improve the schools’ examination results. Hence, this
study seeks to support teachers through the use of self-assessment strategies to
improve the examination results with the ultimate aim of continuously improving the
quality of education in schools.

Teacher reprimands especially after examination results are out undermine teachers’
self-esteem. It is imperative that such practices be discouraged and substituted by
professional development activities where teachers can use self-assessment
strategies to critically review and reflect on their personal, professional competencies
for improvement in an enabling atmosphere. Therefore, teachers should not be
condemned for what goes wrong at the school but should rather be supported and
empowered to conduct suitable self-assessment strategies that enhance quality
education in schools.

5.11 DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-ASSESSMENT STRATEGY MODELS TO

ENHANCE QUALITY EDUCATION IN THE ZAMBEZI REGION

5.11.1 Exposition of self-assessment strategies

The school principals and HoDs were familiar to most of the eight self-assessment
strategies (surveys, guided assessment workshops, questionnaires, reflective
journals, matrix, award simulation, pro forma and self-reviews) presented to them
during the interviews. However, the self-assessment mode that seemed to be the most
familiar to the participants was that of self-review mode. Apparently, this mode is
closely linked to the commonly practised school self-evaluation in all state schools in
the Zambezi region. Additionally, the school principals and HoDs made positive
remarks on the values of self-assessment to improve the quality of education in schools
thereby creating an enabling environment and atmosphere for the use of self-
assessment strategies in the Zambezi region.

The school principals’ and HoDs’ perception of being knowledgeable of only one mode
of self-assessment strategy was confirmed by the teacher respondents that schools
do not allow teachers to use different self-assessment strategies to enhance quality
education apart from the TSE which is conducted once per annum, during October.

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The overall mean score of 2.94 in Table 12 shows that 59% of teacher respondents at
least agreed that schools allow teachers to use different self-assessment strategies,
while 41% disagreed. Bradley advises school principals that, ‘improvement is not a
one-time effort. Everyone and every department must subscribe to the ethic of constant
improvement, and management must lead the way’ (Bradley 1993:175). Jayakumaran
and Manoharan further point out that ‘today it is in our best interest to encourage
everyone’s potential by dedicating ourselves to the continual improvement of our own
abilities and those of the people with whom we work and live’ (2011:150).

Finally, Deming’s principle advocates that individual teachers should become actively
involved in acquiring new skills, techniques and knowledge to effect meaningful
changes in the teaching and learning processes by focusing on ‘students’ strengths,
individual learning styles, and different types of intelligences’ (Jayakumaran &
Manoharan 2011:150). Therefore, school principals should encourage teachers to
partake in self-assessment strategies of their own that can meaningfully contribute to
their professional development which in turn will contribute to the realisation of quality
education in schools.

5.11.2 Roles of school principals

In general, the school principals perceived communication between school principals

and teachers as being frequent and done on a daily basis. The HoDs also concurred
with school principals that communication between teachers and the school principals
is regular and on-going.

Teachers gave three different variables of leadership and communication skills that
exist between school principals and teachers: open communication; distributive and
leadership styles.

5.11.2.1 Communication

The mean score of 4.11 in Table 11 (Item 18) shows that 82% of teachers at least
agreed that schools have an open communication system. However, 18% of the
respondents disagreed that schools have open communication systems while 13%
were unsure.

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 5.11.2.2 Distributive leadership and leadership styles

The mean score of 3.72 in Table 11 (Item 7) shows that 74% of the respondents at
least agreed that leadership is widely distributed among teachers by school principals,
while 26% of the respondents at least disagreed with the statement.

The mean score of 3.74 in Table 11 (Item 19) shows that 75% of the respondents at
least agreed that the school principals use both autocratic and democratic styles of
leadership, while 25% of the respondents at least disagreed with the statement.

School principals do well to have open communication systems in schools. Teachers

are prone to stressful experiences in and outside school that can demoralise them from
implementing their core duties of teaching, such as family chores, marriage problems,
and financial debts (Decenzo & Robbins, 2006). Baraza,Simatwa, and Gogo (2016:91-
114) state that,

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an

opportunity, constraint, or demand, related to what he or she desires and for
which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.

Teachers with stress cannot be effective in carrying out self-assessment strategies. It

is imperative that school principals have an open door policy of communication to allow
teachers under stress to voice their problems to remain focused on implementing self-
assessment strategies.

Furthermore, it is important that school principals create enabling environments that

can help resolve teachers’ personal and professional problems. Teachers are more
likely to state their grievances and gratitude to school principals who use democratic
styles of leadership than those who are autocratic. Maposa and Chisango (2016:44-
51) state that ‘staff development programs could be perceived more positively if
schools shift from autocratic to democratic way of managing school programs’. School
principals should allow teachers to support one another by using self-assessment
strategies that focus on resolving teachers’ personal and professional problems
experienced in and outside the school in a democratic school environment.

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 5.12 CONCLUSION

This chapter presented qualitative and quantitative data that was collected during the
two phases of this sequential exploratory mixed study. The first section in Part A of the
chapter presented the demographic data of participating school principals and HoDs.
Similarly, in Part B, demographic data of teacher respondents was first presented prior
to presenting responses of teachers on the Likert-scale questionnaire. Finally, Part C
presents the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data gathered during the two
phases of this sequential mixed method study.

The findings of this study are based on the school principals’, HoDs’, and teachers’
perceptions of quality and quality education in general and how it can be enhanced by
the use of self-assessment strategies in schools in the Zambezi region. The
subsequent paragraphs summarise the chapter findings under the four sub-problems
stated in Chapter one, (cf. par. 1.4).

The school principals and HoDs provided varied and diverse definitions of quality and
quality education. Deming (1994:2) acknowledges that ‘the basic problem anywhere is
quality’. Quality is defined and understood differently by education stakeholders.
However, teachers, on the other hand, agreed and strongly agreed that quality and
quality education is well known, understood and shared by staff in schools as
evidenced by the high percentage of ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ responses. Hence,
individual teachers claim to be knowledgeable of what quality and quality education
entails despite that there exists no single and universally agreed definitions of the two
terms. Therefore, it is essential for school principals during school strategic planning
meetings to apply Deming’s first principle to create constancy of purpose for continual
improvement of teaching and learning in schools in the Zambezi region (Deming,
1988).

The participants - school principals, HoDs and teachers - generally perceive that
monitoring and evaluation of school principals and teachers in the Zambezi region by
external offices and agencies are lacking. External support is generally limited to once-
off visits by ATs and IoEs to schools. The lack of visits to schools by education officers
is caused by many factors including financial constraints that the Ministry of Education
is experiencing. Deming’s third principle cautions teachers to cease dependence on
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external agencies to improve teaching and learning as it is not sustainable in the long-
run (Deming, 1988). It is therefore imperative that school principals and teachers
devise school-based initiatives such as the use of self-assessment strategies to
improve the quality of education in teaching and learning schools.

The participants agreed in principle that schools have recourses that can be put to best
use to improve the quality of education in schools. Deming’s sixth and thirteenth
principles require school principals to institute training programmes of education and
retraining for teachers in schools (Deming, 1988). Teachers should be encouraged to
engage in continuous professional development activities to improve teaching and
learning in schools.

The majority of participants indicated that the use of self-assessment strategies is

limited in schools. The school principals and HoDs mentioned mainly one mode of self-
assessment, namely, self-review, which is similar to the school self-evaluation
advocated by the Ministry of Education. Teachers indicated to be familiar with two or
three modes of self-assessment. Deming’s fifth principle can be adopted by school
principals to allow teachers to engage in the process of continually improving every
aspect of teaching and learning processes (Deming, 1988).

Therefore, with limited recourses and support available in schools, school principals
and teachers can develop suitable self-assessment strategies to improve the quality of
education in schools. Juran’s principle of ‘fitness for use’ encourages school principals
to utilise the teaching and learning recourses to satisfy the needs and expectations of
learners (Juran and Godfrey, 1979).

The school principals’ interpersonal skills, communication skills, and leadership styles
can affect teachers’ initiatives to explore the use of self-assessment strategies in
schools. Deming’s eighth principle encourages school principals to drive out fear
among teachers by improving communication (Deming, 1988). It is important that
school principals should create enabling and supporting environment for teachers to
conduct and explore the use of other self-assessment strategies to improve quality
education in teaching and learning in schools. Therefore, the developments of self-
assessment strategies require school principals to create supportive and enabling
environments for teachers to be creative and innovative in schools. The leadership and
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communication styles used by school principals influence the manner in which self-
assessment strategies could be developed to enhance quality education in teaching
and learning in schools

The next chapter will present a summary of the research findings. The study limitations
will be presented prior to making recommendations on how self-assessment strategies
can be used to improve the quality of education in the Zambezi region. Finally, areas
for further research in quality education enhancement in the Zambezi will also be
presented.

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 CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY OF THE STUDY, CONCLUSIONS,
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 INTRODUCTION
Chapter six begins with a summary of the study. The study was based on the
exploratory sequential mixed methods approach of using self-assessment strategies
to enhance quality education in the Zambezi region of Namibia. This is then followed
by the research findings, discussed according to four sub-problems stated in Chapter
one:
 What entails quality and quality education?
 How can self-assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality
education in general terms?
 What recourses are available to ensure that quality education is realised by
the use of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region?
 How can self-assessment strategy models be developed to enhance the
quality of education in the Zambezi region?

The recommendations from the study are then presented in response to the four sub-
problems stated above. The limitations and delimitations of the study are also
presented in the chapter. The chapter presents the contributions of the study to
education theory and practice with a model illustration of how self-assessment
strategies can be employed by teachers. Lastly, the chapter presents avenues for
future research and concludes with final remarks on how self-assessment strategies
can be used to improve the quality of education in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

6.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH

In this exploratory sequential mixed methods study, five schools were purposively
selected from each of the five educational circuits in the Zambezi region: Bukalo,
Chinchimane, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma and Sibbinda. The five schools are located in
the remote areas of the Zambezi region. Three of the five remote schools are located
in flood-prone areas along the Zambezi River, north-east of Katima Mulilo Town.

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The five schools are generally inaccessible and difficult to visit throughout the year
due to poor terrain and the mammoth task of crossing over tributaries of the Zambezi
River. Miranda et al. (2011) affirm that schooling in the Zambezi region is often
disturbed by floods which occur on an annual basis which makes it difficult for
inspectors of education and advisory teachers to frequently visit the schools.
However, the five selected schools are typical examples of many schools that are
rarely visited by education officers. Therefore, the selected remote schools serve as
suitable school models for this particular study on how self-assessment strategies
can be used to enhance quality education in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

The research was conducted in two phases: qualitative and quantitative (cf. par. 5.2;
and 5.7). During the first phase (qualitative), two methods of data collection were
used: personal and focus group interviews. The participating school principals were
engaged in personal interviews (See Appendix C) while the HoDs participated in a
focus group interview (See Appendix D). Data collected from the school principals’
and HoDs’ interviews was analysed and used to inform the design of the Likert-scale
questionnaire which teachers completed during the second phase of the data
collection exercise. Thereafter, the qualitative data was used to confirm or disconfirm
data collected during the first phase of the study.

Five school principals and four HoDs participated in the study. The participating
school principals and the HoDs had vast years of teaching and school management
experiences as espoused in Chapter five, (cf. par. 5.2.1.4 and 5.2.2.4). The rich
experiences of school principals and HoDs were used to inform and guide the design
of the second phase (quantitative) of this particular study. The male interviewees
(school principals and HoDs) were in the majority compared to their younger female
counterparts (cf. par. 5.2.1; and 5.2.2.) The age differences and working experiences
between the male and female school principals are considered in this study as an
opportune time for the young female school principals to acquire valuable school
managerial skills from their ageing and experienced male counterparts.

The fifty-four teachers who participated in the study had varied years of teaching
experience ranging from less than five years to over thirty-two years (cf. par. 5.4.1.5).
The selected sample of teachers included: un-qualified, under-qualified, novice and
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experienced teachers (cf. par. 5.4.1.4). The researcher sought to capture teachers’
perceptions on quality tenets in education from their personal opinions and
experiences in schools.

The school principals were requested to return the completed questionnaires in a

period of two to three weeks. One school returned the questionnaires in a sealed
envelope after two weeks, while the remaining four schools submitted theirs during
the third week. The quantitative data obtained from the Likert-scale questionnaires
was entered into a Microsoft Excel database before the data analysis was conducted
using IBM SPSS.19 and Microsoft Excel software.

The following section (6.3) will highlight the research findings of this exploratory
sequential mixed methods study in answering the four sub-problems stated in
Chapter one, (cf. par. 1.4).

6.3 THE RESEARCH FINDINGS

6.3.1 Introduction

The findings of this sequential explorative mixed research methods study revealed
the following findings under the four sub-problems stated above.

6.3.2 Findings with regard to sub-question 1: What entails quality and

quality education?

The different connotations provided by school principals and HoDs in Chapter five (cf.
par. 5.3.1 and 5.3.2) suffice to indicate that quality is a multifaceted concept. The
definitions of the two concepts are dependent and influenced mainly by the
stakeholders’ interest in education, and hence the variations as evidenced by the
school principals’ and teachers’ different perceptions of the two concepts. However,
despite the variations in defining quality, a common trend is that quality is centred on
satisfying specific needs of customers. In an educational context, quality education
focuses on satisfying the educational needs of customers and stakeholders. Schools
should satisfy teachers’ personal and professional needs for quality education to be
achieved in schools. The main study finding of sub-question 1 is that the two notions
of ‘quality’ and ‘quality education’ are commonly shared and understood by the
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participants but are defined differently. The rejection of the null hypothesis attests the
aforementioned finding that schools have shared and common understanding of the
two concepts at hand but have different connotations of quality and quality education.

6.3.3 Findings with regard to sub-question 2: How can self-assessment

strategies be linked to quality and quality education in general
terms?

In response to sub-question 2 as stated in Chapter one (cf. par. 1.4), this study found
out that self-assessment is linked to quality and quality education as a monitoring and
evaluation measure of standards in schools. This is in line with the Dakar international
framework and UNESCO’s (2005) conception of quality standards stated in Chapter
one (cf. par. 1.11.3). Thus, in schools, the monitoring of teachers’ practices is done
by school principals, HoDs and also by outside agents or experts (Education Officers:
Inspectors of Education and Advisory Teachers). The study established that school
principals and HoDs supported teachers to improve teachers’ professional
competencies through class visits, class observations and face-to-face discussions
as shown in Chapter five (cf. par. 5.3.4.5; 5.7.2.3; 5.8.2.2). However, the study
revealed that external professional support in inadequate as stated in Chapter five
(cf. par. 5.6.2). The lack of external support by education experts in schools was found
to be a contributing factor towards the lack of quality education in schools in the
Zambezi region of Namibia. Miranda et al. (2011) also confirm that ‘the general visits
to schools by professional staff [Education Officers: Inspectors of Education and
Advisory Teachers] for guidance and support has diminished over the years, which
might have a negative impact on quality in schools’ (Miranda et al., 2011; Ministry of
Education, 2006).

The major finding of this study in response to sub-question 2 is that external

professional support by inspectors of education and advisory teachers is inadequate
in schools in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

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 6.3.4 Findings with regard to sub-question 3: What recourses are available
to ensure that quality education is realised by the use of self-
assessment strategies in the Zambezi region of Namibia?

In response to sub-question three stated above and in Chapter one (cf. par. 1.4), the
study found out that the availability of recourses to support the use of self-assessment
strategies in schools is indispensable. Recourses of teacher involvement in decision-
making processes during school strategic planning and the identification of needs
serve as support mechanisms to meet teachers’ needs and expectations. This is in
line with Lin’s (2014) findings that ‘the decisions made by teachers could be easier
implemented by them’. Thus, the involvement of teachers in formulating school
visions, mission statements and goals is done annually in October as per the Ministry
of Education directives and is key to teacher participation. Teachers have an
advantage of identifying and addressing needs that derive directly from their
interactions with learners in the classrooms during school strategic planning meetings
(Lin, 2014). Additionally, the study showed that school strategic planning is an
opportune time for school principals and teachers to carefully select and plan the
implementation of chosen self-assessment strategies based on teachers’ needs. On
the contrary, however, the study found out that teachers’ over-indulgence in school
administration chores can compromise quality education through loss of valuable
teaching time in the classrooms (Lin, 2014).

Another major finding of this study is that self-assessment is closely linked to teacher
effectiveness. In Chapter two (cf. par. 2.3.3.4) a conclusion by the McKinsey Report
(2007) in Finland is that ‘the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality
of its teachers’ (McKinsey, 2007:19). This finding supports the proponents of teacher
effectiveness research, such as that of Muijs and Reynolds (2011) who have shifted
their focus from traditional perspectives of quality, which are based on the ‘process-
product’ paradigm to ‘teacher effectiveness’. Teacher effectiveness is central to
ensuring quality education in schools. Santiago and Benavides (2005), regard
teachers as the most significant and costly resource in schools who are central to
quality education improvement. In this study, it was established that effective teachers
were rewarded and bestowed with prizes and monetary incentives at various levels
of the education system (school, cluster, circuit, regional, and national levels). Also,
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the study revealed that this practice served as a motivating factor for teachers to
improve the quality of education in schools. On the contrary, the study revealed that
teacher reprimands that were instituted against non-performing teachers served as
deterrent measures to the under-performing teachers as mentioned in Chapter five
(cf. par. 5.3.4.6; 5.10.3.3).

Furthermore, the study showed that teachers are central to the provision of quality
education in schools. Therefore, school principals alone without support from
teachers cannot achieve a quality education. The traditional view of regarding
teachers as the silenced in the process of decision making is out-dated (Lin, 2014).
The realisation of quality education in schools requires a concerted effort from
teachers, including other education stakeholders. This study also showed that
teachers’ needs are regularly surveyed and acted upon by school principals as
mentioned in Chapter five (cf. par. 5.6.2; 5.8.2.2). However, on the contrary, the study
found that schools do not accurately focus on teachers’ personal and professional
needs despite regular morning staff brief-meetings and the annual once-off strategic
meetings. These recourses do not provide adequate time for teachers to register their
personal and professional needs in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The main finding
of this study in response to sub-question 3 is that schools do not fully utilise available
recourses to support teachers’ personal and professional needs in enhancing quality
education in schools.

6.3.5 Findings with regard to sub-question 4: How can self-assessment

strategy models be developed to enhance the quality of education
in the Zambezi region of Namibia?

In response to sub-question 4 as stated above and in Chapter one (cf. par. 1.4), the
study showed that the current use of TSE is a common practice in schools as per the
Ministry of Education directives (2013b). However, the study found that the
participants are eager to explore and develop alternative self-assessment strategies
in schools to supplement the TSE. Also, the study showed that some participants
resent the prescribed use of TSE because it is not fulfilling all the teachers’ needs
and expectations in improving the quality of education in the Zambezi region as
pointed out in Chapter five (cf. par. 5.3.5).

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The study further revealed that school principals are pivotal in developing self-
assessment strategies in schools. Generally, school principals interchangeably used
two leadership styles in schools: democratic and autocratic (cf. par. 5.6.4). However,
the study showed that school principals opted to use the autocratic leadership style
to attain set goals of the schools. The laissez-faire type of leadership was the least
favoured by school principals as it required frequent and unnecessary consultations
with teachers for decision-making as stated in Chapter five (cf. par. 5.3.4.7).

Finally, in Chapter five (cf. par. 5.11.2), the study showed that communication
between school principals and teachers could help in developing feasible self-
assessment strategies in schools. Thus, school principals who use democratic
leadership styles have potential in creating conducive environments for teachers to
develop suitable and relevant self-assessment strategies in schools. Therefore,
school principals have a pivotal role to play in supporting innovative teachers who
plan to explore and design alternative self-assessment strategies to improve quality
education in schools in the Zambezi region of Namibia. The main finding of the study
in response to sub-question 4 is that school principals tend to use the autocratic style
of leadership.

6.3.6 Summary

This sequential explorative mixed method study showed that the two concepts of
quality and quality education are elusive and understood differently by the
participants. The study also revealed that the lack of support from external agencies
compel schools to devise alternative internal school mechanisms to improve the
quality of education with little or no support from external agencies. Therefore, school
principals are required to avail recourses for effective teachers to be innovative in
selecting relevant and suitable self-assessment strategies to improve the quality of
education in schools in the Zambezi region of Namibia.

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6.4 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE STUDY

6.4.1 Conclusions of participants’ perceptions on quality and quality

education in general

The concepts of quality and quality education are multi-faceted and transcendental in
nature. Despite the fact the two terms are borrowed from industry, there are embraced
as legitimate concepts in the education sector. Consequently, education stakeholders
(Government, industry, schools, tertiary institutions, etc.) expect schools to provide
quality education to all learners in order to meet their divergent needs and
expectations. Schools, in return, should accommodate and strategise to meet the
broad requirements of the stakeholders. However, the participants held different
connotations of the concepts to exemplify the assertion that there exist no single
definitions of the concepts. Therefore, it is imperative that school principals and
teachers should involve stakeholders in defining the notions of quality and quality
education in the light of national standards for schools to remain relevant to industry
and societal needs.

6.4.2 Conclusions of self-assessment links to quality and quality

education in general

Despite the fact that quality and quality education are abstract concepts, there is need
to use empirical evidence to measure the two concepts. Internal and external school
monitoring and evaluating mechanisms are regarded by the participants as a means
of assuring quality education in schools. However, due to factors beyond the external
agents’ control, the IoEs and ATs cannot monitor and evaluate all school principals
and teachers in schools in the Zambezi region as expected. It is therefore logical and
essential that school principals should empower and encourage teachers to support
one another at school level. School principals can identify and collaborate with
effective teachers to develop suitable self-assessment strategies that meet personal
and professional needs of teachers. Through teamwork, collaboration and carefully
planning, teachers can contribute immensely in the successful design and
implementation of self-assessment strategies in schools to improve the quality of
education in teaching and learning.

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 6.4.3 Conclusions of recourses available for use of self-assessment
strategies.

Schools in the Zambezi region are privileged in using the National Standards for
School Evaluation in developing their school mission statements, vision and goals.
This is attested by the participants’ views that teachers are involved in formulating
school strategic plans. Teacher involvement in decision making processes by
school principals empowers teachers to own and be accountable for any collective
decision made. Thus, self-assessment strategies should not be imposed on
teachers by school principals or external experts. Schools should therefore avail
more recourse for teachers to select and design suitable self-assessment strategies
for use in improving the quality of education teaching and learning in schools.

6.4.4 Conclusions of developing self-assessment strategies

Self-assessment strategies have proved to be effective not only in industry but in

education, too. Mount Edgemont secondary school is one school in the USA that
uses self-assessment strategies to improve quality education in teaching and
learning. Therefore, the development of self-assessment strategies requires school
principals to create supportive and enabling environments for teachers to be
innovative in schools. The leadership and communication styles used by school
principals influence the manner in which self-assessment strategies can be
developed in schools. Thus authoritarian school principals might find it difficult to
convince and get adequate support from teachers who are suppressed to develop
self-assessment strategies. On the contrary, democratic school principals who are
open to communication have an advantage of listening to personal and collective
ideas of teachers on how best to develop self-assessment strategies.

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 6.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE STUDY

6.5.1 Introduction

In the light of the study findings in section 6.3 above, the following recommendations
are presented in response to the four sub-problems of this exploratory sequential
mixed methods study as phrased above.

6.5.2 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 1: What entails

quality and quality education?

From the findings of the study, the concepts of quality and quality education are
elusive, multi-faceted and transcendental as stated in Chapter two (cf. par. 2.2.2).
Despite the fact that the two terms are borrowed from industry (cf. par. 2.2.1; 2.2.2.;
2.3.1; and 2.3.2), the concepts are defined and understood differently by the
participants, namely, teachers, HoDs and school principals (cf. par. 5.3.1; and 5.3.2).
The school principals together with teachers, need to formulate simple, clear,
comprehensible and concise definitions of the two concepts to avoid the ambiguity.
The concepts should be commonly shared and understood by all the teachers and
school principals early during the first term of each academic calendar. Therefore, it
is recommended that school principals and teachers should redefine the concepts of
‘quality’ and ‘quality education’ to establish common understandings of the two
concepts at hand.

6.5.3 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 2: How can self-

assessment strategies be linked to quality and quality education in
general terms?

Despite the fact that quality and quality education are abstract concepts (cf. par.
2.2.2), there is a need to use empirical evidence to measure the two concepts. Thus,
internal and external school monitoring and evaluating mechanisms are needed to
ensure quality education in schools. However, due to factors beyond the control of
the education directorate, the IoEs and ATs cannot monitor and evaluate all school
principals and teachers in schools in the Zambezi region as expected. Due to the lack
of inadequate professional support by inspectors of education and advisory teachers
in schools, it is recommended that school principals and teachers should intensify

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and fortify teamwork in planning and implementing self-assessment strategies to
enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools.

6.5.4 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 3: What recourses

are available to ensure that quality education is realised by the use
of self-assessment strategies in the Zambezi region of Namibia?

From the study findings with regard to sub-question 3 as stated above (cf. par. 1.4),
it is recommended that school principals should be innovative in availing recourses
at school levels to support teachers’ initiatives in using suitable and feasible self-
assessment strategies to improve the quality of education in schools. Furthermore,
teacher effectiveness and teacher involvement in decision making processes in
schools should be used to empower teachers to own and be accountable for any
collective decisions taken at school levels (Lin, 2014). In other words, self-
assessment strategies should not be imposed on teachers by school principals or
external experts. Therefore, it is recommended that school principals should avail
possible recourses to empower teachers to select, explore and design suitable self-
assessment strategies for use in improving the quality of education teaching and
learning in schools.

6.5.5 Recommendations with regard to sub-question 4: How can self-

assessment strategy models be developed to enhance the quality of
education in the Zambezi region of Namibia?

Sub-section 6.3.4 above revealed that self-assessment strategies have been proven
to be effective in improving the quality of education in schools. It was also concluded
that the successful implementation of self-assessment in schools is dependent mainly
on the school principals’ attitude towards teachers. Furthermore, it was established
that the leadership styles and communication policies that school principals adopt
could have either a positive or an adverse effect on the implementation of self-
assessment strategies in schools.

Thus authoritarian school principals might find it difficult to convince and get adequate
support from suppressed teachers to develop self-assessment strategies. On the
contrary, democratic school principals who are open to communication have an
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added advantage of listening to personal, professional and collective ideas of
teachers on how best to develop self-assessment strategies. It is recommended that
school principals should be approachable and supportive in empowering teachers to
supplement the current use of TSE with other proven and effective self-assessment
strategies to improve quality education in teaching and learning in schools.

6.5.6 Summary

The recommendations stated above are in response to the four sub-problems of this
study. The recommendations aim to inform school principals, HoDs, education
officers (IoEs, ATs), and the Regional Directorate of Education management
(Director, Deputy Directors, Chief Education Officers) of how self-assessment
strategies can improve the quality of education in teaching and learning in schools in
the Zambezi region of Namibia. School principals play a pivotal role in managing
available recourses. The use of appropriate communication and leadership styles can
allow teachers the freedom to explore the use of self-assessment strategies to
enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools.

6.6 LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Firstly, the study was conducted in five selected remote and spaced-out schools in
the five educational circuits of the Zambezi region in Namibia. Traveling to some
schools to collect data was a challenge. On one occasion, a visit to one school in a
flood-prone area was aborted due to the water mode of transport available at the time
of the visit. The researcher could not risk canoeing in traditional canoes to collect
data. However, the participating school principals and HoDs were persuaded and
convinced to attend interviews in Katima Mulilo town during school holidays.
Unfortunately, one HoD failed to attend a focus group interview for health reasons.

Secondly, despite collecting data from the selected school principals, HoDs and
teachers, the results of the study cannot be over-generalised to all schools in the
Zambezi region. Schools are unique educational organisations that have needs and
challenges that differ from one school to another. Therefore, other remote schools
should focus on the opportunities and challenges faced by teachers to develop

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suitable self-assessment strategies to improve the quality of education in remote
schools.

6.7 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY TOWARDS THEORY AND PRACTICE

6.7.1 Self-assessment model

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study focused on the four sub-problems
stated in Chapter one (cf. par. 1.4), to contribute towards literature on theory and
practice of quality and quality education in schools in the Zambezi region of Namibia
(cf. par. 1.9). By focusing on the four sub-problems, this study generated a database
on individual and collective participants’ perceptions of quality and quality education
in the Zambezi region. The database contained valuable insights for exploration on
how self-assessment strategies can be emulated by other remote schools in similar
settings in the Zambezi region.

The study findings contribute to existing theory and practice of quality education by
advancing self-assessment strategies for use in remote schools that seldom receive
external professional support. Teachers who intend to adapt the self-assessment
model can use the steps stated in Chapter three (par. 3.2.2; 3.3.9) to plan and
implement the self-review process. It should also be noted that there are varied tools
that can be adapted by teachers to analyse data to improve the quality of education
in teaching and learning in schools. Juran and Godfrey (1978) present the following
tools as effective in problem-solving: box plot, brainstorming, cause-effect diagram,
data collection, flow diagrams, graphs and charts, histogram, Pareto analysis, scatter
diagrams and stratification tools. The nature of the problem determines the type of
tools that teachers can use to solve teaching and learning problems in schools. In this
study, a flow diagram (See Figure 34 below) was used to illustrate how continuous
improvement of quality education in teaching and learning can be realised in schools
in the Zambezi region.

Figure 34 below depicts a six-step sequential process model of a teacher self-

assessment cycle. The steps and arrows in the flow diagram show the activities that
need to be completed by teachers before they can move to the next step in the
improvement cycle. The model is designed to help teachers plan and focus on the

210
research problem of how to enhance quality education in teaching and learning in
schools in the Zambezi region.

Sample Guidelines for a Teacher Self-Assessment Cycle

Step I: Plan
Teacher Self-
Assessment
Strategies

Step II:
Step VI: Conduct
Review Teacher Self-
TSA/TSIPs Assessment
(TSA)
Continuous
Improvement of
Quality Education
in Teaching and
Learning
Step III:
Step V: Compile and
Implement Present TSA
TSIPs Reports

Step IV:
Develop
Teacher Self-
Improvement
Plans (TSIPs)

Figure 34: Guidelines for a teacher self-assessment model

A flow diagram was chosen because its framework focuses on a systematic process
of improving quality education in schools (Juran and Godfrey, 1979). It allows
teachers to use higher order thinking to assess quality improvement using self-
assessment strategies (Step I). It also allows teachers to identify the root causes for
the lack of teaching and learning processes in schools by self-critiquing their teaching
practices (Step II). Furthermore, it provides teachers with room to remedy and
evaluate the causes of the research problem in quality education enhancement (III).
Additionally, it allows teachers to implement and sustain their good pedagogical skills
and knowledge (Step IV). Lastly, a flow diagram allows teachers to be innovative in
identifying and evaluating suitable self-assessment strategies (Steps V and VI), that
can enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools (Juran and
Godfrey, 1979).

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The model of self-assessment process is based on Deming’s four-stage cycle of
quality improvement (cf. par. 3.2.4), and Adam’s self-assessment procedures (cf. par.
3.3.9). The steps can be reduced by combining two steps into one to befit a chosen
self-assessment strategy where necessary. The teacher self-assessment derives
from TQM quality management principles that emphasise the use of tools to inform
decision-making in an organisation.

6.7.1.1 Step I: Plan teacher self-assessment strategies

Teachers who are willing to participate in teacher self-assessment processes meet to

plan and agree on the modalities of the chosen self-assessment strategy. Teachers
focus and adapt pre-determined criteria or indicators of standards, for example, from
the Deming’s simulation awards or National Professional Standards for Teachers in
Namibia for self-assessment. Teachers discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of the chosen self-assessment criteria. Higher order thinking skills (cf. par. 3.5) can
be applied by teachers during this stage to self-critique their teaching styles using
evaluation questions to justifying their teaching practices. Three key questions need
to be discussed using higher order thinking: What is the current situation of my
teaching and learning processes in my classroom? What changes need to be made?
How are the changes going to be made? Why should the changes be made? This is
different from the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ question types that require teachers to use lower order
thinking skills.

The use of a SWOT analysis can be helpful for teachers to have a

commonunderstanding of their individual’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats in teaching and learning processes. Teachers can identify: ‘Strengths’
meaning areas that they are proud of; 2. ‘Weaknesses’ - areas that they can improve
upon; 3. ‘Opportunities’ - recourses that the teachers can utilise to improve the
teaching and learning processes; and, 4. ‘Threats’ - areas that the teachers have no
control over except that they can choose how to respond to such threats. Teachers
plan and agree on a time-frame of when to complete the self-assessment which
should later be submitted to a chosen team leader, or a proven effective teacher. This
process can take a month or two to complete. School principals can apply Deming’s
first principle of creating constancy of purpose for continual improvement of services

212
(cf. par. 2.3.2.1; 5.6.1; 5.8.1) to support teachers. Despite the fact that the initiative to
use the self-assessment is from teachers, the school principal should ensure that the
earmarked improvements are linked to the school’s vision, mission statement, and
goals.

6.7.1.2 Step II: Conduct teacher self-assessment

Each teacher conducts his or her own teacher self-assessment using a chosen self-
assessment strategy within an agreed upon time-frame, i.e., two to three months as
stated in Step I above. It is essential that teachers complete the teacher self-
assessment instruments as honestly as possible based on their personal
observations and experiences of their performances. Teachers can adopt the new
philosophy to supplement the common TSE mode of assessment in schools. Unlike
Deming’s second principle that advocates for the abandonment of traditional ways of
assessment, in this case, teachers can apply the new form of assessment to
supplement the mandatory TSE mode of self-assessment by the Ministry of
Education, Arts, and Culture (2013a).

Thereafter, the team leader should convene a meeting for teachers to present their
personal self-assessments. Collectively, teachers identify and prioritise key areas for
improvement. The team leader then collates and generates a generic teacher self-
assessment (SWOT analysis) that is agreed upon by teachers in the school. The
generation of a generic and consolidated teacher self-assessment analysis can be
done within a period of a month or two.

6.7.1.3 Step III: Compile and present teacher self-assessment reports

The effective teacher presents the consolidated teacher self-assessment analysis to

the school principal and/or HoD for validation. The task of the school principals and/or
HoD is to validate and authenticate the findings of the consolidated teacher self-
assessment and make recommendations for improvement. The authentication
process can be done within a period of two months. Deming’s seventh principle
encourages the school principals and HoDs to emphasise quality, not quantity in
authenticating the teacher self-assessment outcomes (cf. par. 3.3.8). Thus, the

213
school principals should carefully identify key areas that need urgent redress at
school level.

6.7.1.4 Step IV: Development of teacher self-improvement plans (TSIP)

The teachers meet to discuss feedback received from the school principal, (or an
effective teacher or HoD). Based on the recommendations, the teachers develop
individual self-improvement plans to redress teaching and learning problems in
classrooms. The TSIPs should clearly state: What task is to be addressed? Who is
responsible for carrying out the task? When is the task expected to be accomplished?
And, how is the task going to be done? Table 3 (cf. par. 3.3.9), can serve as guidelines
for teachers to emulate.

6.7.1.5 Step V: Implementation of teacher self-improvement plans (TSIP)

Teachers carry out the planned activities as recommended in the teacher self-
improvement plans. Deming’s fifth and sixth principles encourage teachers to engage
in the process of continual improvement of every aspect of the teaching and learning
process (Deming 1988). Teachers can use the TSIP to implement the
recommendations to enhance quality education in teaching and learning in schools.
Effective teachers are expected to monitor the implementation of the TSIPs regularly.
Teachers can conduct the activities stated in the TSIPs without fear of impeachment
by the school principals and other professional staff for the self-assessment process
to be efficient and effective.

6.7.1.6 Step VI: Review of the teacher self-assessment cycle

Teachers meet to reflect and review the self-assessment processes. The teachers
should reflect, review and identify areas that have improved in their teaching styles
and problematic areas that still need redress.

This step allows teachers undertaking teacher self-assessment processes to re-

strategise and restart Step I of the quality improvement cycle. The completion of the
self-assessment cycle can take six to twelve months.

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 6.7.2 Summary

The self-assessment cycle as shown in Figure 34 is essentially a school-based model

for continuous improvement of quality education in teaching and learning in schools.
The self-assessment model is cost-effective and does not require teachers to travel
away from schools. Neither does it allow teachers to seek guidance and support from
external professionals. Instead, the self-assessment cycle requires teachers to
systematically share ideas, skills and knowledge at different stages of the
improvement cycle at the school level. Thus, teachers work to identify strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats in their classrooms. However, one
disadvantage of the self-assessment cycle is that it requires teachers to sacrifice their
afternoon time to engage in the teacher self-assessment cycle. Therefore, school
principals and effective teachers should regularly encourage and provide adequate
support for teachers to engage in the teacher self-assessment cycle continuously.

6.8 FUTURE RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES

There exist grey areas for future research possibilities on the topic of quality and
quality education in general. The following are some future research possibilities:

 Due to a public commotion among education stakeholders (parents, non-

governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, etc.) regarding lack of
quality education in schools, there is a need for future research to focus on
tangible mechanisms and processes to enhance quality education in teaching
and learning in remote schools. Stakeholders expect schools to provide quality
education regardless of whether a school is located in an urban, semi-urban
or rural area of Namibia.
 The Ministry of Education should allow and empower practitioners (teachers)
to explore the use of alternative self-assessment strategies to supplement the
prescribed TSE strategy in schools. It is a fallacy to assume that the current
TSE meets all the teachers’ needs and expectations in enhancing quality
education in teaching and learning in schools. Future research should focus
on devising viable forms of self-assessment to complement the prevailing use
of TSE in schools.

215
  Self-assessment is used in both private and public sectors to improve
organisations’ performances continuously. Therefore, future research should
benchmark successful schools that encourage the use of self-assessment
strategies to continuously improve the quality of education in teaching and
learning. Such findings can serve as models for remote schools to emulate in
using self-assessment strategies to improve quality education in schools in the
Zambezi region of Namibia.
 School principals as accounting officers play a pivotal role in ensuring that
quality and quality education is realised in schools. It is recommended that
future research should focus on providing school principals and HoDs with
practical guidelines that clearly spell out their roles to support the use of self-
assessment strategies by using appropriate communication and leadership
styles.

6.9 FINAL REMARKS

This sequential explorative mixed method study explored national and international
connotations of quality and quality education in general. The study established the
links of self-assessment to quality and quality education in general. The recourses
available to support self-assessment in schools were also identified in this study. A
school-based self-assessment was posited to illustrate how remote schools - that
receive limited support from professional education experts - can improve the quality
of education. Finally, research possibilities are presented for further research by
scholars to improve the quality of education in schools in the Zambezi region of
Namibia.

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APPENDICES

227
APPENDIX A: RESEARCH ETHICS CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE

228
APPENDIX B: PERMISSION LETTER FROM THE ZAMBEZI DIRECTORATE

OF EDUCATION

229
 APPENDIX C: SCHOOL PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Instructions for the interviewer:

1. The research topic for my thesis is entitled:
The enhancement of quality education using self-assessment strategies
in the Zambezi educational region of Namibia
2. The information you are going to provide in this interview will be treated as
highly confidential.
3. The interview will be audio-recorded for authenticity.
4. Be as honest as possible and feel free to ask me to repeat any question that is
not clear to you.
5. Probing questions might be asked to follow up on answers provided.
6. Be at ease and talk clearly.
7. There are no correct or wrong answers apart from your personal opinions.
8. You are free to decline answering any of the interview questions.

Purpose of interview:
The aim of this study is to establish and determine how self-assessment
strategies can be used to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi
educational region.

Demographic Information for School Principals:

1. Gender Male / Female

2. Age 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49
50-54 55-60
3. Years of Teaching Experience:
4. Years of School Principal Experience:
5. Circuit:
6. Highest Qualification:
7. Current Studies:
8. Future Studies:
9. HOD Contact Details:

Questions:
1 How do you perceive: a) quality, and b) quality education?
2 In your opinion as a school principal, who do you regard as your
school’s customers?
3 How often do you as a school principal engage your teachers in
formulating the mission, goals and vision of the school? Why?
4 Is your school organized around the needs and expectations of your
learners/teachers/parents? How?
230
5 Are learners, teachers and parents’ needs regularly surveyed and
acted upon by your office? How often?
6 How do learners, teachers and parents register their concerns to
your office? Do you think their concerns contribute to quality
education enhancement?
7 How often do education officers, i.e. inspectors of education and
advisory teachers, supervise teachers at your school in a year?
8 Is your school utilising the cluster system to excel in the provision of
quality education? How?
9 What do you do as a school principal to constantly improve teaching
and learning processes in the classrooms?
10 How often do you as a school principal communicate with your
teachers about their personal and professional needs?
11 Do you encourage your teachers to engage in continuous
professional development activities? Can you give examples of
continuous professional development activities that your teachers
are engaged in? Are they effective? Why?
12 Do individual teachers have significant control over their own
continuous professional development?
13 Are you as a school principal pursuing any continuous professional
development programmes that aim to contribute towards the
continuous improvement of your school in order to meet and exceed
the needs of the learners/teachers? Mention these programmes?
14 What other systems do you employ to supplement the school or
teacher self-evaluation system to continuously improve the
professional development of your teachers?
15 What leadership style do you use as a school principal to motivate
your teachers? Why?
16 Do teachers at your school prefer to work in isolation or in teams?
Explain.
17 Do you award the best performing teachers at your school? How?
18 Do you reprimand the non-performing teachers? How?
19 Do you think your teachers prefer to work more closely with their
departmental colleagues in their grade phases, (e.g. Lower Primary,
Upper Primary, and Junior Secondary) rather than working with
teachers having the same fields of specialisation? Why?
20 Do your teachers compete against one another in producing good
results? Yes/No. How do you motivate your teachers to excel in
producing good results?
21 Do you use staff performance appraisal systems to encourage
teachers to work very hard? Yes/No. Why?
22 How do you regard the relationship that exists between you and
your staff? Is it that of supervisor vs. subordinate? Why?
231
 23 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
School principals alone cannot accomplish the realisation of quality education
enhancement in a school without the support of all its members.
Explain.
Some schools make use of self-assessment strategies such as the following:
1. Survey mode
2. Guided assessment workshop mode
3. Questionnaire mode
4. Reflection journal mode
5. Matrix mode
6. Award simulation mode
7. Prof forma mode
8. Departmental self-review mode

24. Are you using any of the self-assessment strategies stated above? Yes/No.
Which ones have you used? Did they bring any noticeable improvement? Explain.
25. Do you think that schools can use self-assessment strategies to enhance quality
education in the Zambezi educational region? Why?

Allow me to sincerely thank-you for your valuable time spent with me during this
interview.

232
 APPENDIX D: HOD FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Instructions for the interviewer:

1. The research topic for my thesis is entitled:
The enhancement of quality education using self-assessment strategies in
the Zambezi educational region of Namibia
2. The information you are going to provide in this interview will be treated as highly
confidential.
3. The interview will be audio-recorded for authenticity.
4. Be as honest as possible and feel free to ask me to repeat any question that is
not clear to you.
5. Probing questions might be asked to follow up on answers provided.
6. Be at ease and talk clearly.
7. There are no correct or wrong answers apart from your personal opinions.
8. You are free to decline answering any of the interview questions.

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS

Please Tick and/or Circle in the appropriate box:

1. Gender Male Female

2. Age 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-60

3. Years of Teaching Experience

4. Years of Heads of Departments

Experience
5 Circuit

6. Highest Qualification

7. Current Studies

8. Future Studies

Purpose of interview:
The aim of this study is to establish and determine how self-assessment
strategies can be used to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi
educational region.

233
Questions:
1. How do you perceive: a) quality, and, b) quality education?

2. Do you think schools in the Zambezi region are offering quality education? Why?

3. In your opinion as Heads of Departments, who do you regard as your schools’

customers?

4. How school principals engage teachers in formulating the missions, goals and
visions of schools? How?

5. Are your schools organized around the needs and expectations of your
learners/teachers/parents? How?

6. Are learners, teachers and parents’ needs regularly surveyed and acted upon by
your offices and that of School principals? How often?

7. How do learners, teachers and parents register their concerns to your offices and
that of the school principals? Do you think their concerns contribute to quality
education enhancement?

8. How often do education officers, i.e. inspectors of education and advisory

teachers, supervise teachers at your school in a year?

9. Is your school utilising the cluster system to excel in the provision of quality
education? How?

10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the cluster system?

11. What do you do as a Heads of Departments to constantly improve teaching and

learning processes in the classrooms?

12. Do you encourage your teachers to engage in continuous professional

development activities? Can you give examples of continuous professional
development activities that your teachers are engaged in? Are they effective?
Why?

13. Do individual teachers have significant control over their own continuous
professional development?

234
14. Are you as Heads of Departments pursuing any studies or programmes that aim
to contribute towards the continuous improvement of your school? Mention
these programmes.

15. What other systems do you employ to supplement the school self-evaluation
system to continuously improve the professional development of your
teachers?

16. What leadership styles do you use as Heads of Departments to motivate teachers
at your respective schools? Are your leadership styles different from those of
the school principals? Why?

17. Do teachers at your school prefer to work in isolation or in teams? Explain.

18. Do you think teachers prefer to work more closely with their departmental
colleagues in their grade phases, (e.g. Lower Primary, Upper Primary, and
Junior Secondary) rather than working with teachers having the same fields of
specialisation at you school? Why?

19. Do teachers at your school compete against one another in producing good
results? Yes/No.

20. Do you use staff performance appraisal systems to encourage teachers to work
very hard? Yes/No. Why?

21. How do you regard the relationship that exists between you and your school
principal? Is it that of supervisor vs. subordinate? Why?

22. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

School managers alone cannot accomplish the realisation of quality education

enhancement in a school without the support of all school members. Explain!

23. Some schools make use of self-assessment strategies such as the following:
 Survey mode
 Guided assessment workshop mode
 Questionnaire mode
 Reflection journal mode
 Matrix mode
 Award simulation mode
 Prof forma mode
 Departmental self-review mode

235
 24. Is your school using any of the self-assessment strategies stated above?
Yes/No! Which ones have you used? Did they bring any noticeable
improvement? Explain!

25. Do you think that schools can use self-assessment strategies to improve the
quality education in the Zambezi educational region? Why?

Allow me to sincerely thank-you for your valuable time spent with me during this
interview.

236
 APPENDIX E: TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE - LIKERT-SCALE

Demographic Data

Gender: Male / Female

Age Range: 18-19/ 20-24/ 25-29/ 30-34/ 35-39/ 40-44/ 45-49/ 50-54/ 55-60
Grade Phase: Lower Primary / Junior Primary / Upper Primary /
Junior Secondary
Highest Qualifications: …………………………………………………………….
Years of Teaching Experience: ………………………….
Current Studies: ………………………………………….

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your
school?
Put an X on the appropriate number.
Key:
1 = Strongly Disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Not sure
4 = Agree
4 = Strongly Agree

Statements:

1. The school has a shared and common understanding of the term: “Quality”.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

2. The school has a shared and common understanding of: “Quality Education”.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1. 2 3 4 5

2. The school’s vision is developed with the involvement of teachers.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
3. 2 3 4 5

4. The school’s vision is understood by all staff members.

237
 Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

5. All teachers work towards realising the school’s mission and vision.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

6. The school has consistent values and norms to inform decision-making

processes.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
7. Leadership is widely distributed among teachers.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

8. Regular meetings are conducted to discuss teachers’ needs.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

9. School structures and processes are team based.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

10. The school has mechanisms to avoid poor learner performance / failure.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

11. Authority and responsibility is delegated to teachers to conduct professional

development activities.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

12. There is competition among teachers to produce good results.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

238
13. Teachers have significant control over their own continuous professional
development.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

14. Teachers are motivated by awards and prizes to work harder.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

15. Teachers are reprimanded for poor examination results.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

16. Decision-making at the school is fully participative.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

17. Teachers prefer to work more closely with colleagues in their departmental
grade phases.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

18. The school has a communication system that is open to all teachers.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

19. The school uses both autocratic and democratic styles of leadership
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

20. The school works to achieve consistency of examination results.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

21. Monitoring and evaluation (e.g. class visits, classroom observation, etc.) tools
are used to monitor teachers’ performances.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
239
22. Examination results are used as a measure of quality standards.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

23. Regional Office/External support is sought for improvement of

teaching/learning.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

24. Inspectors of Education visit the school once every month to help the school
improve.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

25. Advisory Teachers (ATs) often visit the school once every term to support
teachers.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
26. The school is organised around the needs of individual teachers.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

27. Teachers’ needs are regularly surveyed and acted on.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

28. The cluster system is effective for continuous professional development

activities.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

29. Teachers attend continuous professional development activities each term at

the cluster centres or circuit offices or Teachers Resource Centre (TRC).
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
30. Teachers are involved in the identification of needs that are addressed in the
cluster or circuit-based workshops.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
240
31. Teachers’ needs are usually addressed during cluster or circuit-based
workshops.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

32. Quality education is defined by teachers at your school.

Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

33. The school allows teachers to use different self-assessment strategies to

enhance quality education.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

34. The school uses only one type of self-assessment strategy throughout the year.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5
35. The school uses more than one type of self-assessment strategy throughout the
year.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

36. You are familiar with at least two types of self-assessment strategies.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

37. You are familiar with at least three types of self-assessment strategies.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

38. You are familiar with at least six or more types of self-assessment strategies.
Totally Disagree Totally Agree
1 2 3 4 5

241
 APPENDIX F: SAMPLE TRANSCRIPT

School Principal One (SP1)

Instructions for the interviewer:

(i) The research topic for my thesis is entitled:
The enhancement of quality education using self-assessment strategies in the
Zambezi educational region of Namibia
(ii) The information you are going to provide in this interview will be treated as
highly confidential.
(iii) The interview will be audio-recorded for authenticity.
(iv) Be as honest as possible and feel free to ask me to repeat any question
that is not clear to you.
(v) Probing questions might be asked to follow up on answers provided.
(vi) Be at ease and talk clearly.
(vii) There are no correct or wrong answers apart from your personal opinions.
(viii) You are free to decline answering any of the interview questions.
Purpose of interview:
The aim of this study is to establish and determine how self-assessment strategies
can be used to enhance the quality of education in the Zambezi educational region.

Demographic Information for School Principals:

1. Gender Female
2. Age 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49
50-54 55-60
3. Years of Teaching Experience: 17
4. Years of School Principal Experience: 4
5. Circuit: Sibbinda
6. Highest Qualification: B Ed Hon
7. Current Studies: None
8. Future Studies: Masters

Questions:
1. How do you perceive: a) quality, and, b) quality education?
SP 1: Eh, more productive work by teachers yields quality products or services
at the end. 2

SP 1: The higher the pass rates, the higher the quality. Quality education we are
looking at the productivity of what we are doing currently in class with learners that
yields good results at the end of the day. And that our learners may prosper and
become educated as they proceed in the system. 6

242
 2. In your opinion as a school principal, who do you regard as your school’s
customers?

SP1: The 1st customer is the learner because that is the target of education. The 2 nd
one, are the parents, they are also involved in the learning of their children since their
the core parents we have in the community

And thirdly, the implementers of the curriculum which are the teachers including the
stakeholders that we have within the country. 11

3. How often do you as a school principal engage your teachers in formulating

the mission, goals and vision of the school? Why?
SP1: Normally the curriculum itself requires us to revisit our mission, aims, and
vision, every October of each year. So we normally do that every year and see if we
have met our vision, goals of the school if missed some of the points on the goals
then we have to what we can do and implement as a school every year of October.
We revisit for every exam that we have, have we met our mission, including the term
tests… that we normally we provide in the term? “We meet to set examination targets
for learners in all examinable subjects. Teachers retrospect learners’ performances in
previous year’s examinations and set targets for the following year.

So it is throughout but formally that we submit to the ministry and to the circuit office,
it is done once. But at the school we do it every time of each quarter. 21

4. Is your school organized around the needs and expectations of your

learners/teachers/parents? How?

SP1: Partly, because some of the things are not yet in order, they are not yet there,
with the current situation, that I have with my school, the grade 0 class doesn’t have
a class they are using a laboratory, so for science classes and science experiments
they are not done properly because of the occupation of the class. I try my utmost best
to take into account teachers’ needs but I’m experiencing difficulties because of lack of
classrooms and vandalism of school property. And then from there, we are looking at the
protection of vandalism of school properties that is still to be attended to, because the
school doesn’t have a fence so anyone can trespass anytime they want.
So for us to be on the safe side, unless, we have a fence. 30
So it is not everything that the ministry can do towards meeting our expectations in
education but the little that we get we appreciate and then we consider it as a starting
point towards achieving all that we want for the school. 33

243
5. Are learners, teachers and parents’ needs regularly surveyed and acted
upon by your office? How often?

SP 1: I will start with teachers. Teachers they go through the HoD, they bring
their concerns to the HoD, if the HoD doesn’t have any solution towards it then the
HoD will bring it to me for my attention that I should address teachers’ problems. And
then that is when I can intervene if there is a failure from the HoD. With parents, they
follow the same procedure. They will start with the class teacher because the class
teacher is the immediate supervisor of the learner. 39
So if the teacher fails to solve the parents’ problem, then the teacher will bring it to
the attention of the HoD. From the HoD then it will come to me.

And then finally I will meet the parent and then finalise the issue with all these people
involved, the HoD, the class teacher, the learner and the parent then we solve it at
once. 44

6. How do learners, teachers and parents register their concerns to your

office? Do you think their concerns contribute to quality education
enhancement?

SP1: Very much, because they are aware of what is happening actually in class. And
sometimes we normally invite parents to come in and take observations of teachers
teaching in their classes and see how their children participate and from there if there
is any concern with how the teacher delivers or any concern from a learners side
coming to the parents because there are issues that we normally face as teachers
sometimes they will go and complain that the teacher doesn’t explain well or the
teacher doesn’t do us, whatsoever. 51

So if parents come in and are involved within the teaching and learning periods, then
it becomes a solution at the end of the day.

And cheating between the learners’ information that passes to the parents and what
is actually happening at the school will be limited. 55

7. How often do education officers, i.e. inspectors of education and advisory

teachers, supervise teachers at your school in a year?

SP1: With advisory services, it’s once, because they say they have a workload for the
whole region and we have few of them who specialized in one subject and they have
to see all the five circuits, so if they come its only once, but for inspectorate section,
them they can visit frequently sometimes 2 times a month depending on the
problems that the school have. 60

244
And the issues that we invite them for, to come and attend as inspectors of education
in our schools. So it can be more than 3 times a term or trimester.

Novice teachers. Normally, if we have a novice teacher, that is the duty of the HoD
for induction. And then from there, that is when I come in to intervene if there are
issues that have failed within the department that HoD is heading then I will also
assist. We also have cluster centre principals. They do also help us in mentoring the
novice teachers including the experienced ones because everyone is due to learn
every day because and learning doesn’t stop. 68

8. Is your school utilising the cluster system to excel in the provision of quality
education? How?

SP1: Very much!

We normally have Cluster competitions that we conduct not only academically but
including these other non-subjects, like we have competitions on science fairs,
competitions on clusters level on culture, that we know one another’s’ culture from
different communities that we have. 73
And then we normally have debates for English to help learners learn, and we
normally have the Readathon day sometimes we bring it at cluster level.
And then we work together as a team to enhance the participation of learners.
And then that knowledge of coming together helps learners to learn from others and
then they prosper from there because they will copy from others what they are doing
if something new comes during the activity. 79

9. What do you do as a school principal to constantly improve teaching and

learning processes in the classrooms?

SP1: We have three things that we normally do. The first one we have class visits
that is done during the first trimester of the first month. And then we have a follow up
of a class observation. A class visit is a mini one. It doesn’t cover the whole
components that teaching and learning requires. We only look at the presentation
and the work that learners is given. 84

But when we come to class observation, we start from the filing of all the information
documents that the teacher should have. Are they properly filed, are they properly
used, and are they properly maintained for longer service? 87

And then the last one we conduct a personal interview with the teacher to see
whether the teacher has a problem then maybe when we were class visiting or when
classroom observation was done, the teacher couldn’t express himself with the
concern then when we have a personal interview with him.
He will raise all the needs, he will raise all the problems that the teacher faces.
245
So that is how we look at it. 93

10. How often do you as a school principal communicate with your teachers
about their personal and professional needs?

SP1: We have a form that is designed by the ministry, where we have the personal …
observation plan that is done every October like the first one which I was saying
about the school so, that one is done once in a year.

So that personal plan that the teacher does, is for the following year according to the
weaknesses that the teacher has. Himself, he will mention out his weaknesses and
then the strengths. 99

From the weakness that is where we build on a personal development plan for the
following year. That the first trimester we are going to concentrate on this
weaknesses that we have and if the teacher achieves it then we move on till when all
the weaknesses are met but they should not be met after six months of the year for
us to have good results at the end. 104

11. Do you encourage your teachers to engage in continuous professional

development activities? Can you give examples of continuous professional
development activities that your teachers are engaged in? Are they effective?
Why?

SP1: We normally engage them. The Ministry has provided us with that program with
the Teachers Resource Centre for them to be professionally developed. And then
what they normally do is, they call the teacher himself should write all things that he
wants to be developed in. Now we talk of technology ITC issues because most of the
things they use ITC and few of us teachers have the knowledge, so that training is
already provided by the ministry. So it is helping. And we talk of the issue of using …
the school reports with computers.
No more writing with hands. 112
So it is one of the things that the teachers are developed in that they do not need the
assistance of the school secretary to do the work.
And they can do it themselves.
And then have accuracy of results the way they should be portrayed.
And then we normally do that because we want the quality to be standard and we
want to see if that everything that we want in the education system is made and is
made towards the goal of the nation. 119

12. Do individual teachers have significant control over their own continuous
professional development?

SP1: In some cases only few. It depends on the type of people you have. 120
246
Some they become negative and some they are positive towards what they require
as to be developed in, but later on they will decide to drop out and say I don’t want
anymore ... 123
So there is no way you can force a person till you convince by through dialogue and
you tell the person the need and the importance of that professional development a
person has written himself, and why he needs to go over, then you find few of them
will come in and say I am willing to take over the process and go up to the end until I
make it. 128

13. Are you as a school principal pursuing any continuous professional

development programmes that aim to contribute towards the continuous
improvement of your school in order to meet and exceed the needs of the
learners/teachers? Mention these programs?

SP1: Normally, what we normally do as a school, we look at the results, the previous
results either for the trimester or at the end of the year. That will be our mirror. And
then from there, we call in the teacher and make an interview to see where the
problem was if the results were bad. Normally we concentrate on when the results
are bad. If they are good, then we look on the strengths. What did the teacher do that
he maintained the good results and or even exceeded what he did? 134
Then From there, after looking at the results, then we ask for assistance from other
schools. We normally write letters to top achievers in different subjects to come and
help our weak teachers and that is done on cluster level and school level including
even the circuit. Sometimes you can borrow one teacher from another circuit to come
to your school and assist. 139
Like I have an incidence of a life science teacher when he has a problem in Life
science, then I asked one teacher from … school, she came to my school for a week
and inducted my teacher on how to go on with assessment and with few topics of
presentations. Then, from there, the subject picked. And that is how I do it with
teachers to develop them professionally. 144
But with learners, we normally have common tests. I will go to the nearby school
during the day. I pick a question paper from a different teacher, who is not teaching
them, and I give them to write and I will assess after the teacher marks.
Then I will go back to the marking scheme and see how the learners performed.
If there is something that goes wrong, then I will go back to the learners and ask why
are the results bad? When it is the same syllabi that is used at the same school
where we took the paper from.
And then from there, they will tell us what went wrong then from there we will know
how to assist them and make a plan on how they can build on and help themselves
towards achieving what is expected of them. 154

247
14. What other systems do you employ to supplement the school or teacher
self-evaluation system to continuously improve the professional development
of your teachers?

SP1: With Grade 10, we normally encourage teachers to use examiners’ reports as
one tool that they should use to assess their learners. And by reading the examiners’
report they will really have a know-how on how to assess learners, how to help
learners to answer questions during the examinations and how to do their practical
activities for those subjects that involve practical activities because some of the
questions comes in the examinations. 160
So if they are aware from the beginning then they will not face problems during
examinations and during the year how they were assessed learners they will be
having that knowledge of what is expected of them as they meet every objective of
the syllabi. 164

15. What leadership style do you use as a school principal to motivate your
teachers? Why?
SP1: That one depends to the situation and circumstances that comes in. There is no
specific one that you can use.

So, a situation will tell whether you become autocratic because of the nature of the
staff that you have. If they don’t comply, unless you impose laws, that’s when they
will comply. 169

So you can not specify that this is the same one that I use throughout but the nature
of problems that comes, the nature type of people that you have, that will tell you
which style to use and then see whether you can meet what is expected of you at the
end of the day. 173

16. Do teachers at your school prefer to work in isolation or in teams? Explain!

SP1: But not all of them. Some prefer to work alone. That is how they are. 174

17. Do you award the best performing teachers at your school? How?
SP1: So, we do it at school level it will be more expensive than if we go through the
other ones. We have developed award ceremonies at different levels, i.e., at school,
cluster, circuit, and regional levels.
So, we are limited at a school level, we only motivate them. And then praise those
who did well amongst others while we are together as a staff; or as learners, we bring
them in front and we tell them these are the best performers that we have, and if we
have small tokens such as instrument sets we provide to learners just to encourage
them to work more. 182

248
18. Do you reprimand the non-performing teachers? How?
SP1: That one is obvious, because you really need to know what went wrong if every
support was given; the professional development was done, why should the results
become bad at the end of the day?
So, one should be reprimanded of whether it is good or bad towards whatever has
come upon from the person. But normally, with bad results, that is where we
concentrate. Sometimes, it is the negligence of the teacher. You help throughout the
year but the teacher will opt to do something else, just to bring your name down.
There are people with that motive. 190
So, to avoid it, unless you bring something else to reprimand the person and then
see his fault and work his weakness. That the next time it shouldn’t be him or her to
improve and work on it … For example, sometimes … we normally call the person in
front of the school board and inform the school board why the results are bad. Then
him as the teacher should explain to the school board what went wrong. What
assistance does he want? We call in the school board for the purpose maybe parents
were not supporting. Then the school board will have a say towards parents. And us
as management will talk to the teacher. 198
Then from there, a warning letter can be given, and that warning letter serves as
something he might recall on it every time, read through it and see why did he get
that warning because that will be a mirror to show him, this thing is not good.
So you need to work on it. 202

19. Do you think your teachers prefer to work more closely with their
departmental colleagues in their grade phases, (e.g. Lower Primary, Upper
Primary, and Junior Secondary) rather than working with teachers having the
same fields of specialisation? Why?

SP1: We normally we have a situation where all teachers work together. It doesn’t
matter whether it is a lower primary teacher or junior primary teacher. There are
issues where Grade 10 teachers will require support from a Lower Primary teacher,
like if for an example, let me talk of English, there are things that we talk like phonics,
the sounds of words, if an English teacher in grade 10 and finds it that his learners
doesn’t have the knowledge, then the grade 1 teacher will be called in grade 10 class
to come and teach that part. 209

Whether it is a mathematics topic in grade 7, and the teacher doesn’t have the know-
how, we will call in any teacher, whether it’s a lower primary, or junior primary or
senior secondary teacher to come and assist within the school to help for that
particular topic to be tackled. 213

So, it is an integration of any, as long as the person has got the skill and the person
has the knowledge, and is free by the time you are ask for assistance.

That can be done. There is no limit. 216

249
20. Do your teachers compete against one another in producing good results?
Yes/No. How do you motivate your teachers to excel in producing good
results?

SP1: Yes.
We provide certificates on the school level for those who do well ... We just buy and
print on a school level to show that.
For example, if it is grade 10, if Silozi gets 92% and then that will be position number
one in a particular subject you got 92% up to the last one for each grade just to
motivate the teacher that they should feel acknowledged for what they have done
throughout the year. 223

No it doesn’t really come to that point. I haven’t seen it, because everyone fights
towards excellence at the end of the day, it is the duty of the teacher to motivate the
learners during his own period, teaching time. And normally what I see with my
teachers … we developed programs that are beyond government regulations. Sorry,
education regulations. We have issues such as morning-shows, where learners
come to school half past five to half past six. 229

Then teachers will teach just to make the syllabus move faster. That, they have extra
time for revision. And that one is really helping. For those teachers who are
motivated and willing to use that time, they normally excel.
And those who are not using that time at the end of the term when they fail and
reflect on the results that normally motivates that by the time come to the second
trimester they also join others and at the end of the day the school performs
because everyone is involved. 236

21. Do you use staff performance appraisal systems to encourage teachers to

work very hard? Yes/No. Why?

SP1: Yes, normally the HoD first comes as the Head of Department of a particular
department, then, the report that is given.
I also have mine where I monitor teachers directly without the involvement of the
HoD, I sometimes go in the class to do a formal observation and then I will have a
formal one and from the formal one, that is where I involve the HoD and the teacher if
there are issues that I see needs change and improvement on, that the HoD should
be aware of and then assist the teacher while am doing my part as the principal of
the school. And then from there, a recommendation will be written to the advisory
teacher to come in and assist as earlier before things goes wrong towards the end of
the year. 246

22. How do you regard the relationship that exists between you and your staff?
Is it that of supervisor vs. subordinate? Why?
250
SP1: I regard them as my subordinates because I also need assistance from them. I
can’t only supervise people who are not close to me.
It is not everything that I do as principal that is good. And that they will appreciate.
But as supervisor again, I will still learn from my subordinates, and through their
advices of what they want the school to be, we can prosper as we work together
because we are having one mission to have good results at the end. 252

23. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

School principals alone cannot accomplish the realisation of quality education
enhancement in a school without the support of all its members.
Explain.

SP1: I agree. I’m not the teacher for the whole school. And, if I have support and I
have full establishment of the staff that is when we can realise the goal of the school.
And, I cannot work alone, as an individual to bring good results without others being
involved in. 256

24. Some schools make use of self-assessment strategies such as the

following:
 Survey mode
 Guided assessment workshop mode
 Questionnaire mode
 Reflection journal mode
 Matrix mode
 Award simulation mode
 Prof forma mode
 Departmental self-review mode

Are you using any of the self-assessment strategies stated above? Yes/No!
Which ones have you used? Did they bring any noticeable improvement?
Explain!

SP1: Yes. There is one for the department. Where I will require the departmental
head to review the results within the department, and then a report will be written,
every member of the department should sign, to show that they contributed towards
the resolutions in it and problems they faced within the department. 260
And then from there, we normally have a reflection that we do termly or monthly, that
we reflect on the results.
If, tests were given, home works were given, and class works were given then we
reflect on how learners performed and where teachers need assistance and build on
towards the end. 264

251
25. Do you think that schools can use self-assessment strategies to enhance
quality education in the Zambezi educational region? Why?

SP1: It is very important to assess the school itself, we do not only look at the
education in class but the facilities that we have around the school. Does it cater for
the education that at the end of the day will prosper? And then the type of teachers
that we have mostly the young ones they are not willing to do as the old people used
to work in the past. 269

So, it is the duty of the school that it should have a motivating strategy to keep them
in the profession and to develop them that they understand that teaching is a calling.
It is not something that should just come to get money at the end of the day you don’t
worry about your work. So if they have that interest, if they have the love and the zeal
of working extra, then things will run smoothly and education will improve in the
Zambezi region. 275

Allow me to sincerely thank you for your valuable time spent with me during
this interview.

252
 APPENDIX G: PROOF OF EDITING

8 Nahoon Valley Place

Nahoon Valley
East London
5241

19 June 2018

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

I hereby confirm that I have proofread and edited the following doctoral
thesis using the Windows ‘Tracking’ system to reflect my comments and
suggested corrections for the student to action:

The enhancement of quality education using self-assessment strategies

in the Zambezi region of Namibia by VINCENT MUBIANA MATAKALA, a
thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the subject of EDUCATION
MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Brian Carlson (B.A., M.Ed.)

Professional Editor

Email: [email protected]
Cell: 0834596647
Disclaimer: Although I have made comments and suggested corrections, the responsibility for the
quality of the final document lies with the student in the first instance and not with myself as the editor.

BK & AJ Carlson Professional Editing Services

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